Multiple Dimensions of Governance

Abstract

Over that last 10 years, “governance” has become a catchword capturing the attention not only of civil society organizations, local, and international nongovernmental organizations but also of some mainstream social scientists and policymakers in developed as well as developing countries. Barclay (2006) views governance as a concept that is widely used in the development literature with a variety of meanings and interpretation. The various contributions to the democratic governance debate have led to different and sometimes conflicting definitions of the “governance” phenomenon. While some narrowly conceive governance as a positive force to foster economic growth, Fukuyama (2013) sees governance as a government’s ability to make and enforce rules and to deliver services, regardless of whether that government is democratic or not. He further argues that the current orthodoxy in the development community considers democracy and good governance as mutually supportive.