Making sense of good governance

Abstract

It is now nearly ten years since the World Bank introduced the word ‘governance’ into discussions about development. This paper asks what the term means, why it became part of the policy discourse, and what it assumes about the way organisational performance might be improved. It then reviews some recent research on governance in the South Pacific, and considers the tension between universal principles of good governance and particular national circumstances. Finally it introduces some comparative research that addresses several questions about achieving ‘good governance’. * How much does the design of institutions affect their performance? * What are the conditions under which policy ideas can be transferred? * What factors determine whether the ‘right’ policies are implemented?