The Concept of ‘Good Governance’
Good governance is used primarily within the international development studies to explore the way in which government institutions go about resources management and control over the public. According to Agere, governance consists of the decision-making and the ability to implement institutional policies (25). Governance is a broad term that applies to institutional management of local, national, and international magnitude. Other sectors of the society such as the business community, the church, and the civil organizations also subscribe to their forms of governance to be effective in service delivery. As a concept, good governance strives to install an operational economic, political, and social institution that readily answers the aspirations of people. Therefore, good governance is a requirement for every organization that has the spirit of its people at heart.
The link between good governance and development is too obvious, and there exists tangible multiple relationships between good governance and development. Agere opines that good governance encompasses a raft of virtues that make it deemed as development inclined (74). Among these virtues are full observance to human rights, ability to uphold the rule of law, inclusivity, pluralism, transparency, responsibility, and accountability. Other qualities that stem from good governance are justice, access to information, popular participation, and empowerment. These attributes to good governance are pointers to development. Good governance is linked directly to sustainable human development. In this way, the concept emphasizes ideologies that stand implicit in endorsing the approaches to development (Haslam, Schafer, and Beaudet 89). Along these lines, good governance must have the capacity to enable a conducive atmosphere that guarantees the full enjoyment of human rights to enhance the prospects of human growth.
Good governance has tangible connections to enriched investment and economic growth. Smith notes that the fruits of good governance consist of efficient bureaucracy, which guarantees augmented economic, social, and political performances (63); they are represented in the following models:
Capacity Building
Effective governance requires capacity for effective functioning to put knowledge into professional use for growth. For a government to deliver on its plans there must be a strong commitment to promote fidelity for the greater common good.
Participation
Good governance advocates inclusivity in the concept of governance. Whereas a government works in discrimination of certain sections of the society, it faces severe loss from the affected stakeholders.
The Rule of Law
The aspect ensures fairness takes center stage in the concept of governance. Good governance demands that rules apply equitably to every individual in the society.
Transparency and Accountability
This parameter consists of openness in the decisions made in the concept of business. Good governance demands that public officials do not engage in the clandestine deals or activities, which are injurious to progress.
Efficiency
Good governance advocates for effective utilization of financial and human resource capacities to negate wastes, delay in service delivery, and corruption.
The Concept of ‘Another Face’ of Imperialism?
Globalization consists of interacting and integrating between and amongst different individuals, companies, and governments. The processes that drive globalization are things to do with foreign exchanges and investments (Chapman 23). All these processes are made available through information technologies, which link organizations and governments to conduct business virtually. Even though globalization is touted as a venture that carries greater opportunities for economic growth and social interaction, it equally has effects that stifle the environment, cultures, economics, politics, and economies (Haslam, Schafer, and Beaudet 106). Due to the multifaceted nature of globalization, certain schools of thought have termed or put it in the lenses of modern-day imperialism.
Geopolitics
Globalization has unconditionally established that the political stability and economic welfare of nations can only hold when they work as a team (Chapman 28). Moreover, experience demonstrates that that the socio-economic and political unrests in a particular region or nation convey overarching effects to other regions not directly affected. For instance, the incidences of the holy war in the Arab World spill over to the adjacent regions or nations, which may not essentially subscribe to the practice. According to Chapman, globalization nurtures regional politics with regard to conditional international cooperation (34). For instance, the repercussions of the Cold War and other ideological conspiracies convey deeply rooted legacy of regionalism, which are engrained in the wrangling for greater political space. The major effect of geopolitics that derives its sway from globalization is militarization. Predominantly, the roles played by NATO as well as the United States in advocating the global agenda via the organizationâs security structures have led to modern-day legacy of imperialism (Chapman 45). With many nations seeking security from the US and NATO, militarism increasingly defines relationships of nations across the world.
Economic Spin
Many governments across the world do not sanction the idea outsourcing for the workforce in foreign nations. However, with globalization, nations have unconditionally accepted the idea of worker outsourcing in various sectors of economy from casual labor to technical support (Dunbar 24). A school of thought that includes corporate executives, technocrats, and scholars hold a view that with globalization, most counties stands a slim chance to tap unto the main production units and emergent skills by their own nationals to remain competitive. Accordingly, the concept of going global portends a very precarious situation to the average worker living in his/her country (Dunbar 59). For this reason, government must always try to defend the interests of their workforces by limiting the overseas outsourcing, which has been the hallmark of globalization. As has been the case across various economies, outsourcing bears the negative impacts of making imperialism seeps back to the independent nations, which are usually under the veil of globalization.
Conclusion
Good governance is a virtue that every organization must pursue to remain economically, socially, and politically viable. The concept holds true because the link between good governance and development are exceptionally clear, and there are tangible compound benefits inherent in the norm. Among these virtues pertinent to good governance are full observance to human rights, pursuance of the rule of law, inclusivity, transparency, and accountability. These attributes show that good governance empowers people, and is linked directly to sustainable societal growth and human development. For its benefits, the individuals charged with the responsibility of managing institutions must endorse the development-based approaches to enhance service delivery. Even though globalization carries the brunt of imperialism, there is a need to support genuine globalization due to the tremendous benefits attached to it. Through globalization, the international community has been opening up to allow various individuals, corporations, and governments to invest and tap their potentials in the free market economy that globalizations brings forth. To check the consequences of imperialism, globalization, therefore, should bear limited threat on diversity, pluralism, and freedoms enjoyed by different individuals, businesses, societies, and governments of the world.
References
Agere, Sam. Promoting Good Governance: Principles, Practices, and Perspectives. London, UK: Commonwealth Secretariat, 2000. Print.
Chapman, Bert. Geopolitics: A Guide to the Issues. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2011. Print.
Dunbar, Katherine. Does Outsourcing Harm America? Detroit: Greenhaven Press/ Thomson Gale, 2006. Print.
Haslam, Paul Alexander, Jessica Schafer, and Pierre Beaudet. Introduction to International Development: Approaches, Actors, and Issues. 2nd ed. Toronto: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Smith, Brian. Good Governance and Development. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print.