While J.K Sundaram et al. acknowledge that good governance is a worthy goal in the pursuit for economic growth, they maintain that the concept is not a pre-requisite for development.

Together with several development experts, they argue that poor countries lack the administrative and financial capacity to achieve these reforms or institutions.

Also, others argue that it is possible to achieve economic growth (in per capita terms) with minimum governance practices in place. Nations like Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and, to a large extent, China have been put forward as examples.

Granted, it is accurate that indeed poor countries lack the administrative and financial capacity necessary to achieve these reforms, and there is also some truth that nations can achieve economic growth with minimum good governance practices, however, in my opinion these claims should not be used as an excuse for not pursuing good governance practices in full because half measures cannot lead to sustainable development.

Rwanda realised this aspect when eight good governance indicators were set aside; rule of law, political rights and civil liberties, participation and inclusiveness, safety and security, investing in people, control of corruption, quality of service delivery, and economic and corporate governance.

In this piece I want to argue that even with limited resources at hand, good governance practises are worth pursuing in full because their returns are undoubtedly the bedrock of sustainable development regardless of the nation’s economic might.

Even evidence from institutions such as IMF indicates a high correlation between the application of good governance practices and sustainable economic development.

But first, with good governance being such a widely used term, this piece looks at it from the lenses of how a government and its entities can be held to account by those it is trying to serve.

The thought behind this is that if governance includes the exercise of authority in managing the resources of a country, then good governance is about making sure that this exercise of power helps improve quality of life enjoyed by all citizens.

How good governance benefits citizens

To begin with, people are more likely to have confidence in their government if decisions are made in a transparent and accountable way. This helps citizens feel that government will act in the citizen’s overall interest, regardless of differing opinions.

It also encourages governments to remember that they are acting on behalf of their society and helps them to understand the importance of having open and ethical processes which adhere to the law and stand up to scrutiny.

Secondly, decisions that are informed by good information and data, by stakeholder views, and by open and honest debate will generally reflect the broad interests of the nation.

This does not assume that everyone will agree with each decision; however, members of the community are more likely to accept the outcomes if the process has been good, even if they do not agree with the decision. They will also be less tempted to overturn the decision. So even the most difficult and controversial decisions are more likely to stick.

Thirdly, if decision-making is open and able to be followed by observers, it is more likely that governments will comply with the relevant legal requirements. They will also be less likely to take shortcuts or bend the rules so to speak.

Making choices and having to account for them in an open and transparent way encourages honest consideration of the choices facing those in the governance process.

This is the case even when differing moral frameworks between individuals means that the answer to ‘what is the right thing to do’ is not always the same.

How do you determine good governance is good?

Principles of good governance such as accountability, effectiveness, openness and transparency, integrity, and rule of law have been put forward as proof that good governance is important in achieving sustainable development.

For instance, accountability makes it easy for citizens to keep track of whether their government followed through on pledges made. Accountability also makes it clear what was promised, where the resources are coming from, when results should be expected, and who is responsible.

Likewise, effectiveness allows us to evaluate whether a government is delivering services such as education, and health care in accordance with the needs and available budget.

Additionally, as citizens we can assess whether the government is collecting tax revenues honestly, and investing those resources wisely.

Overall, there is a high correlation between the quality of governance and per capita income. Statistical analysis has proven that good governance improves economic performance rather than vice-versa.

A concrete example is South East Asian nation of Singapore, which by transforming into one of the least corrupt places in the world, is fast becoming one of the world’s booming economies.

Investors, both foreign and local, have confidence in the way this nation is governed and the results are there for everyone to see.

junior.mutabazi@yahoo.co.uk