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Encyclopedia > Governance

Governance is that separate process or certain part of management or leadership processes that makes decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. Frequently a government is established to administer these processes and systems. Much of the recent sociological debate on power revolves around the issue of constraining and/or enabling nature of power. ...


Governance (in business) is the action of developing and managing consistent, cohesive policies, processes and decision rights for a given area of responsibility. For example, managing at a corporate level: privacy, internal investment, the use of data.

Contents

Origin

The word derives from Latin origins that suggest the notion of 'steering'. This sense of 'steering' a group or society can be contrasted with the traditional 'top-down' approach of governments 'driving' society or the distinction between 'power to' in contrast to governments 'power over'. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...


General description

As a process, governance may be carried out for any size organization from a single human being to all of humanity, and it may be carried out for any purpose, good or evil, for profit or not. A reasonable or rational purpose of governance is to see to it (assure), sometimes on behalf of others, that the organization produces a worthwhile pattern of good results while avoiding an undesirable pattern of bad circumstances.


Perhaps the most moral or natural purpose of governance is to assure, on behalf of those governed, a worthy pattern of good while avoiding a truly undesirable patttern of bad. The ideal purpose, obviously, would assure a perfect pattern of good with no bad. A government, then, is a set of inter-related positions that govern and use or exercise power, particularly coercive power. Coercion is the practice of compelling a person to act by employing threat of harm (usually physical force, sometimes other forms of harm). ...


A good government, following this line, could be a set of inter-related positions exercising coercive power that assures, on behalf of those governed, a worthwhile pattern of good results while avoiding an undesirable pattern of bad circumstances, by making decisions that define expectations, grant power, and verify performance.


Politics is a means by which the governance process operates. For example, expectations may be chosen by way of political activity, power may be granted through political action, and performance may be judged through political behavior. Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ...


Conceiving of governance in this way, one can apply the concept to as large a nation state as desired, to corporations, to non-profits or NGOs, to partnerships and other associations, to project teams, and to any number of humans engaged in some purposeful activity. A nation-state is a specific form of state, which exists to provide a sovereign territory for a particular nation, and which derives its legitimacy from that function. ... Corporate redirects here. ... NGO is an abbreviation or code for: Non-governmental organization Nagoya Airport (IATA code) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...


Meanings

The World Bank defines governance as Logo of the World Bank The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in Romance languages: BIRD), better known as the World Bank, is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by WWII. Now, its mission has expanded to fight poverty by means...

the exercise of political authority and the use of institutional resources to manage society's problems and affairs.

An alternate definition suggests that governance is

the use of institutions, structures of authority and even collaboration to allocate resources and coordinate or control activity in society or the economy.

English-speakers sometimes erroneously confuse the term governance with the term government.


According to the UNDP's Regional Project on Local Governance for Latin America: "Governance has been defined as the rules of the political system to solve conflicts between actors and adopt decision (legality). It has also been used to describe the “proper functioning of institutions and their acceptance by the public” (legitimacy”). And it has been used to invoke the efficacy of government and the achievement of consensus by democratic means (participation)".


The state and politics

Some suggest that there should be a clear distinction between the concepts of governance and politics. Politics involves processes by which a group of people with initially divergent opinions or interests reach collective decisions generally regarded as binding on the group, and enforced as common policy. Governance, on the other hand, conveys the administrative and process-oriented elements of governing rather than its antagonistic ones. Such an argument continues to assume the possibility of the traditional separation between 'politics' and 'administration'. This distinction is sometimes questioned in contemporary governance practice and theory, under the premise that both 'governance' and 'politics' involve aspects of power. Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... Look up Administration in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Much of the recent sociological debate on power revolves around the issue of constraining and/or enabling nature of power. ...


In general terms governance occurs in three broad ways:

  1. through top-down methods that primarily involve governments and the state bureaucracy,
  2. the use of market mechanisms where market principles of competition are employed to allocate resources while operating under government regulation and
  3. through networks involving public-private partnerships (PPP) or with the collaboration of community organisations.

These modes of governance are often presented in terms of hierarchy, markets, and networks. A hierarchy (in Greek: , it is derived from -hieros, sacred, and -arkho, rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things or people, where each element of the system (except for the top element) is subordinate to a single other element. ... Chichicastenango, Guatemala traditional market Market stall in internally displaced persons camp in Kitgum, northern Uganda Mercado dos Lavradores, Funchal (Madeira Islands) A market is a mechanism which allows people to trade, normally governed by the theory of supply and demand. ...


Corporate organizations

Corporate organizations often use the word governance to describe the manner in which boards or their like direct a corporation, and laws and customs applying to that direction. Corporate redirects here. ...


Industry

The term governance also occurs in industry—especially in the information technology (IT) sector—to describe the processes to follow in a successful department, team or project. (See project governance) Information technology governance, IT governance or ICT Governance, is a subset discipline of Corporate governance focused on information technology systems and their performance and risk management. ... A Team is a small group with complementary skills who hold themselves mutually accountable for common purpose, goals, and approach. ... A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. ... The term Project governance is used in industry, especially in the information technology (IT) sector, to describe the processes that need to exist for a successful project. ...


Fair governance

A fair governance implies that these mechanisms function in a way that allows the executives (the "agents") to respect the rights and interests of the stakeholders (the "principals"), in a spirit of democracy. The terms governance and good governance are increasingly being used in development literature. ... The term stakeholder has two distinct uses in the English language: The traditional usage, in law and notably gambling, a third party who temporarily holds money or property while its owner is still being determined. ...


Global governance

Global governance refers to a system-wide structure that both allows and constrains the behavior of actors in interdependent relationships in the absence of an overarching political authority. The global international system offers the best example of this. Global governance refers to political interaction aimed at solving problems that affect more than one state or region when there is no power of enforcing compliance. ...


Corporate governance

See the main article at corporate governance. Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions affecting the way a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. ...


Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions affecting the way a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many players involved (the stakeholders) and the goals for which the corporation is governed. The principal players are the shareholders, management and the board of directors. Other stakeholders include employees, suppliers, customers, banks and other lenders, regulators, the environment and the community at large. Corporate redirects here. ... The term stakeholder has two distinct uses in the English language: The traditional usage, in law and notably gambling, a third party who temporarily holds money or property while its owner is still being determined. ... A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company (including a corporation) that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. ... Look up Management in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In relation to a company, a director is an officer of the company charged with the conduct and management of its affairs. ...


Project governance

See Main article Project governance.

The term governance as used in industry (especially in the information technology (IT) sector) describes the processes that need to exist for a successful project. The term Project governance is used in industry, especially in the information technology (IT) sector, to describe the processes that need to exist for a successful project. ... A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. ...


Global governance

see the main article at Global governance for a more detailed explanation.

In contrast to the traditional meaning of governance some authors like James Rosenau[citation needed] have used "global governance" to denote the regulation of interdependent relations in the absence of an overarching political authority. The best example of this in the international system or relationships between independent states. The term can however be applied wherever a group of free equals need to form a regular relationship. Global governance refers to political interaction aimed at solving problems that affect more than one state or region when there is no power of enforcing compliance. ... James N. Rosenau is a former President of the International Studies Association. ...


Information security governance

See Main article Information security governance.

Information technology governance

See Main article Information technology governance.

Information technology governance, IT governance or ICT Governance, is a subset discipline of Corporate governance focused on information technology systems and their performance and risk management. ...

See also

The terms governance and good governance are increasingly being used in development literature. ... It has been suggested that Origins of anarchism and History of anarchism be merged into this article or section. ... Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions affecting the way a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. ... Global governance refers to political interaction aimed at solving problems that affect more than one state or region when there is no power of enforcing compliance. ... Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... Public choice theory is a branch of economics that studies the decision-making behavior of voters, politicians and government officials from the perspective of economic theory. ... In economics, the principal-agent problem treats the difficulties that arise under conditions of incomplete and asymmetric information when a principal hires an agent. ... Social Innovation refers to new strategies, concepts, ideas and organisations that meet social needs of all kinds - from working conditions and education to community development and health - and that extend and strengthen civil society. ... Statism (or Etatism) is a very loose and often derogatory term that is used to describe: Specific instances of state intervention in personal, social or economic matters. ...

External links

Look up governance in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

  Results from FactBites:
 
Government - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1464 words)
The Welsh Assembly Government is the name of the executive branch of Wales, and Scottish Government is the unofficial term to describe the Scottish Executive.
Legitimacy is the attribute of a government that prompts the governed to acquiesce willingly to its authority.
Governments thus exist for the purpose of serving the needs and wishes of the people, and their relationship with the people is clearly stipulated in a "social contract" (a constitution and a set of laws) which both the government and the people must abide by.
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