Good Governance and the Role of the Public Servant
Outline:
• Introduction
o Definition of Governance
o Definition of Good Governance
o Its conceptual framework (based on lessons learned from history, freedom of thought and freedom of speech).
• Elements of Good Governance
o Participatory
o Consensus oriented
o Accountable
o Transparent
o Responsive
o Effective and efficient
o Equitable and inclusive
o Follows rule of law, Justice
o Subsidiary
o Sustainability
o Predictability
• Measures that test Good Governance
o The popular perception
o The poor perception
• Implementation of Good Governance
o Strategies to improve Governance (12 Point Agenda, April 1999)
o Role of public sector and public servant
• Conclusion.

Good Governance and the Role of the Public Servant (Essay Paper 2000)
The concept of "governance" is not new. It is as old as human civilization. Simply put "governance" means: the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). Governance can be defined in different contexts, for example, governance may be defined the way socio-economic power is exercised in managing affairs within a community; one may relate governance to provision of justice and the promotion of human rights and some may advocate political participation. The World Bank defines Governance as management of State power with emphasis on the economic aspect of the management. Asian Bank and other International Financial Institutions emphasize certain elements which relate to development, growth and poverty. African Development Bank suggests that authoritarian Regimes committed to development might exhibit good Governance at middle and lower levels. The danger in such agenda driven definition is that it might ignore the interests, concerns and the psyche of the poor. Probably, it’ll be useful to define governance by elaborating all the essential elements which are vital for good governance to exist in any circumstances and contexts. UNDP comprehensively defines governance as "the exercise of economic, political, and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels and the means by which states promote social cohesion and integration, and ensure the well-being of their populations. It embraces all methods used to distribute power and manage public resources, and the organizations that shape government and the execution of policy. It encompasses the mechanisms, processes and institutions, through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and resolve their differences."
According to this definition, "Good Governance therefore depends on public participation to ensure that political, social and economic priorities are based on a broad societal consensus and that the poorest and most vulnerable populations can directly influence political decision making, particularly with respect to the allocation of development resources. Good governance is also effective and equitable, and promotes the rule of law and the transparency of institutions, officials, and transactions". In brief, good governance refers to a high quality of processes by which decisions affecting public affairs are reached and implemented, and it helps to ensure that all, including poor and other disadvantaged groups, have the means to influence decision making and their implementation, to make contributions in overall development of the country, to share the benefits of this development and improve their lives and livelihoods, and have adequate access to basic services.

The ultimate test of good governance is the broader satisfaction and ownership by the people. It requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development. This can only result from an understanding of the historical, cultural and social contexts of a given society or community. And to develop such an understanding in society, freedom of thought and freedom of speech are prerequisites. Different elements of good governance are:
a) Accountability: It is a wide ranging term meaning that the public officials are accountable and varies across countries depending on political structures, historical cultures and value systems. It is the perception of the society about the accountability of public officials that really matters. A decision-maker must be held responsible to explain and justify the decisions it made and implemented, and their results.
b) Participation: Participation implies that the citizens of the State are at the head of any activity undertaken by the State. It’s the opportunity for people affected by the decision to influence the process of decision making directly or indirectly.
c) Predictability: Predictability is the consequence of the existence of laws, regulations and policies and their fair and consistent application. The system would have check and balance arrangements and their effectiveness determines its predictability. It implies social acceptance of the legal and regulatory framework.
d) Transparency: Transparency is the degree to which rules, standards and procedures for decision making and open, clear, verifiable and predictable. It complements the three preceding elements of good governance. It implies a clear understanding about government rules, regulations and decision at all levels. It is the perception of the people about fairness of the government decisions that matters.
e) Consensus Oriented: There are several actors and as many view points in a given society. Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved.
f) Efficient: efficiency is the measure of how economically resources are used to produce the intended results. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal.
g) Effective: Effectiveness is a measure of the extent to which the decisions/policies and implemental processes achieve their objectives.
h) Inclusiveness and Equity: is the principal that no one can be excluded from the process of development on the basis of gender, race, religion etc. A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.
i) Adherence to the rule of Law/Justice: is the principal that every member of a society, even a ruler, must follow the law. Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force.
j) Responsiveness: Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.
k) Subsidiarity: means that decision making takes place at the level most appropriate for the concerned issue (usually the lowest level possible).
l) Sustainability: the likelihood the positive effects of an intervention (decision making process and decision as the result of that process) will persist for an extended period after the intervention as such ends.

Many of the principals of good governance are interrelated and all principals are necessary in order to achieve good governance. However, the ultimate test of good governance is the popular perception of the quality of governance of management. The main elements of popular perception about governance in Pakistan are summarized below:

• State power is used only for the benefit of the elite and does not protect citizens from the excesses of the powerful. The system of justice, it is presumed, has been used to the advantage of the rich and the powerful and criminal acts of the elite classes are accepted phenomena.
• The misuse of power has been institutionalized by the rise of mafias who gain access to the political system. These mafias use the executive discretion of the political authority in appointments; formulation of public policies; disposal of public assets; and the purchases of goods and services.
• Corruption and cheating have become institutionalized and more dangerously are well developed habits. It is generally believed that all institutions of public service have been corrupted and therefore has weakened public confidence in political structure, executive authority and judicial system.
• Regulatory systems are believed to be not for the public welfare but for economic exploitations and suppression of the vulnerable sections of the society. Even the security of life and property is generally believed to be non existent.

This has led to a general rejection of the judicial, legal and political structure. The psychological impact on the society is too catastrophic. The poor perception of governance has the undercurrents which must not be overlooked. These are:

• Alienation of general mass of population from the managers and the institutions has led to rejection of the system with serious implications for the future. Participation, ownership, transparency and predictability can neither be restored nor ensured as long as alienation prevails;
• Alienation has bred large-scale cynicism and any reforms agenda of economic and social policies or institutional reform is decried. Even the most well intended and well thought out policy is ignored or received with skepticism and accountability efforts have only strengthened public perception of the elitist nature of Governance. Even the exposure of the most powerful and the richest is received without any shock or dismay.
• Alienation and cynicism in turn create general Apathy. Falling rates of participation in the political process is one of the indicators. Corruption does not carry stigma of public shame and any political process is seen as a game of the rich and the powerful.

It needs to be underscored that social state of the society, cultural values and the mindset of the people ultimately determine the acceptance or otherwise of all the reforms. If the people are getting poorer they get even more alienated from the institutions and their managers. Similarly if the bulk of the population is illiterate, their understanding and confidence in the transparency, predictability and accountability will never be restored.

Governance may be viewed both from the managers’ perspective and public perceptions. Most of the discussion and theory relating to the former tends to relate the managerial behavior and incentives to act in the public interest. It is generally argued that incentives which include standards and norms of conduct, clear rules, monitoring and supervision systems of rewards and penalties training etc., influence behavior of the managers. If the system rewards inefficiency, dishonesty or exploitation, then the governance will deteriorate and the public interest will not be served. Such a system is tolerated either because of its ‘value structure’ or because of the inability to act or demand good governance.

In the mid-90s, the government realized the rapid deterioration of the governance structure and the Good Governance Group (G-3) was set up to develop and implement the good governance reform agenda. In April 1999, the government issued a ‘Strategy for Improving Governance’, which had 12 elements including:

i. Financial Governance;
ii. Civil Service Reforms;
iii. Accountability and Integrity in the Public Sector;
iv. Decentralization and Devolution;
v. Reform of Legal and Judicial System;
vi. Police Reforms;
vii. Governance and Management of Big Cities;
viii. Human Rights;
ix. Role of NGOs;
x. Gender Issues;
xi. Environment; and
xii. Public-Private Citizens’ Partnership

To avoid such deterioration and to attain good governance to a maximum extent, the role of public servants becomes very important. To effectively lead the process of tackling all above mentioned ill-factors, the public sector and public servants must be strengthened to perform the key functions of a capable state by achieving good governance, for which, they must:

• Successfully design and implement development policies and programs.
• Provide efficient, cost-effective and responsiveness public services.
• Promote, through policies and programs, a sustained environment that will facilitate the emergence of a strong and vibrant private sector and civil society;
• Establish and manage an effective and transparent regulatory and legal framework to guide the growth and development of the private sector, reward innovativeness and risk-taking, and adequately protect consumers and the environment;
• Address, more vigorously, the issue of transparency and accountability in public service;
• Enhance institutions that promote and enforce the rule of law for legitimacy, social stability and the protection of basic rights;
• Enhance the role of civil society in development policy management, and constructively engage all other stakeholders in dialogue in order to promote participatory development, consensus building and responsive governments;
• Put in place a sound framework for managing public resources Manage the changing role of the public sector in the context of globalization, market economy, multiparty democracy, and information revolution, which have significant implications for openness in public sector management, innovation and the spread of best practices in development policy management;
• Cultivate and nurture an environment that will accelerate a sustainable development.

From the above discussion it should be clear that good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few countries and societies have come close to achieving good governance in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development, actions must be taken to work towards this ideal with the aim of making it a reality.