BharatNotes Good Governance
/ɡʊd ˈɡʌvənəns/A standard of public administration characterised by eight core attributes identified by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank: (1) Participation, (2) Rule of Law, (3) Transparency, (4) Responsiveness, (5) Consensus-orientation, (6) Equity and Inclusiveness, (7) Effectiveness and Efficiency, and (8) Accountability — contrasted with arbitrary, corrupt, or exclusionary governance.
Context & Background
The concept gained global currency through the World Bank's 1989 report on Sub-Saharan Africa (From Crisis to Sustainable Growth) which argued governance failure — not just resource scarcity — caused underdevelopment. UNDP (1997) formalised the 8 characteristics. In India, the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission (2005–2009, chaired by M. Veerappa Moily) produced 15 reports on governance reform covering citizen charters, e-governance, ethics, RTI, centre-state relations, and public order. The Annual Report of the Ministry of Personnel monitors governance indices.
UPSC Exam Relevance
GS2 Governance — Prelims: UNDP's 8 characteristics; World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) — 6 dimensions (Voice & Accountability, Political Stability, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, Control of Corruption); India's NITI Aayog Governance Index (Good Governance Index — released annually on Good Governance Day, 25 December); Citizen's Charter (P.C. Hota Committee recommendation, 2011); 2nd ARC recommendations. Mains: service delivery failures despite economic growth; e-governance as enabler; civil society and participatory governance; Right to Service Acts (various states); governance vs government distinction; accountability mechanisms.
