DEFINITION OF GOOD GOVERNANCE

There is no single and exhaustive definition of good governance, that commands universal
acceptance. The term is used with great flexibility; it is said to be full respect of human rights,
the rule of law, effective participation, multi-actor partnerships, political pluralism, transparent
and accountable processes and institutions, an efficient and effective public sector, legitimacy,
access to knowledge, information and education, political empowerment of people, equity,
sustainability, and attitudes and values that foster responsibility, solidarity and tolerance. 1
However, there is a significant degree of agreement that good governance relates to political and
institutional processes and outcomes that are deemed necessary to achieve the goals of
development. It has been said that good governance is the process whereby public institutions
conduct public affairs, manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in
a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption, and with due regard for the rule of law.

Key elements of good governance:

The concept of good governance has been clarified by the work of the former Commission on
Human Rights. In its resolution 2000/64, the Commission identified the key attributes of good
governance as:
1) Participation
2) Rule of law
3) Transparency
4) Responsiveness
5) Consensus orientation
6) Equity
7) Effectiveness and efficiency
8) Accountability
9) Strategic vision
10)Responsibility 2
Equity is the idea of fairness for every person, between men and women; we each have the right
to an education and health care.Sustainability is the view that we all have the right to earn a
living that can sustain our lives and have access to a more even distribution of
goods.Productivity states the full participation of people in the process of income generation.

This also means that the government needs more efficient social programs for its
people.Empowerment is the freedom of the people to influence development and decisions that
affect their lives.Cooperation stipulates participation and belonging to communities and groups
as a means of mutual enrichment and a source of social meaning.Security offers people
development opportunities freely and safely with confidence that they will not disappear
suddenly in the future.

Human Development:
Human development is defined as the process of enlarging peoples freedoms and opportunities
and improving their well-being. Human development is about the real freedom ordinary people
have to decide who to be, what to do, and how to live.

History:
The human development concept was developed by economist Mahbub ul Haq. At the World
Bank in the 1970s, and later as minister of finance in his own country, Pakistan, Dr. Haq argued
that existing measures of human progress failed to account for the true purpose of development
to improve peoples lives. In particular, he believed that the commonly used measure of Gross
Domestic Product failed to adequately measure well-being. Working with Nobel Laureate
Amartya Sen and other gifted economists, in 1990 Dr. Haq published the first Human
Development Report, which was commissioned by the United Nations Development
Programme. 3

Capabilities as pivotal to human development:

Central to the human development approach is the concept of capabilities. Capabilities what
people can do and what they can become-are the equipment one has to pursue a life of value.
Basic capabilities valued by virtually everyone include: good health, access to knowledge, and a
decent material standard of living. Other capabilities central to a fulfilling life could include the
ability to participate in the decisions that affect ones life, to have control over ones living
environment, to enjoy freedom from violence, to have societal respect, and to relax and have fun.

Example:
An abstract of human capability is a bicycle. A bicycle itself is a resource- a mode of
transportation. If the person who owns the bicycle is unable to ride it (due to a lack of balance or
knowledge), the bicycle is useless to that person as transportation and loses its functioning. If,
however, a person both owns a bicycle and has the ability to ride a bicycle, they now have the
capability of riding to a friend's house, a local store, or a great number of other places. This
capability would (presumably) increase their value of life and expand their choices. A person,
therefore, needs both the resources and the ability to use them in order to pursue their
capabilities. This is one example of how different resources and/or skills can contribute to human
capability. This way of looking at development, often forgotten in the immediate concern with
accumulating commodities and financial wealth, is not new. Philosophers, economists and
political leaders have long emphasized human wellbeing as the purpose, or the end, of
development. As Aristotle said in ancient Greece, "Wealth is evidently not the good we are
seeking, for it is merely useful for the sake of something else." 9

Measurement of human development

One measure of human development is the Human Development
Index (HDI), formulated by the United Nations Development Programme. The
index encompasses statistics such as life expectancy at birth, an education
index, and gross national income per capita. Though this index does not
capture every aspect that contributes to human capability, it is a
standardized way of quantifying human capability across nations and
communities. Aspects that could be left out of the calculations include
incomes that are unable to be quantified, such as staying home to raise
children or bartering goods/services, as well as individuals' perceptions of
their own wellbeing.4

Relationship between Democratic Governance and Human

Development:
Human development is aimed at expanding peoples capabilities and choices that enable them to
lead long, healthy and creative lives and enable them to participate in decision-making affecting
their lives. Its characteristics include peoples empowerment, equity of opportunities,
sustainability, and human security and freedom. By examining the set of these characteristics, a
countrys development performance and predictors thereof become clearer. These critical generic

characteristics include life expectancy, adult literacy, school enrollment and per capita income
etc.

Characteristics:
Also critical to human development performance are characteristics in a society that are more
difficult to quantify but are more revealing. These include access to services; participation in
decision making; income disparities; equality of opportunities; level of employment; economic
growth by community; health and education indicators; and human security.8
To take each characteristic separately, democratic governance is the best system to ensure citizen
participation in decision making because it demands the participation of the citizens in selecting
their leaders and holding them accountable. It also provides local governance and civil society
mechanisms through which citizens can voice their concerns, make decisions at a local level and
inform their elected representatives of pressing issues. By providing local government structures
that distribute resources in an equitable, transparent and accountable way, democratic governance
also increases citizen access to services. Decentralization, when democratic, creates local
structures that can make decisions and distribute services and resources independent of a central
authority. This makes governance more efficient and responsive to local needs.

Example:
To take first the example of generic human development indicators, democratic governance can
help to increase life expectancy, improve adult literacy and school enrollment, and raise per
capita income by providing a system of government that responds to the needs of the people. If
the people desire better health care, education and quality of life and we must assume that these
are universal human aspirations democratic governance ensures that elected representatives act
according to the will of the people in an accountable way. It further ensures that a system is put
in place that is based on the rule of law and equal access to opportunities. Of course, other
systems of governance even those that are undemocratic can also improve health care, education
and income among their citizens. It is clear, however, that by looking at the more qualitative
indicators of development the real benefits of democratic governance become clear.

Organization of relationship between Human development and Democratic

Governance:5

The links between democratic governance and human development can be organized around four
areas:

Democratic institutions
When led by human rights values, good governance reforms of democratic institutions create
avenues for the public to participate in policymaking either through formal institutions or
informal consultations. They also establish mechanisms forth inclusion of multiple social groups
in decision-making processes. Finally, they may encourage civil society and local communities
to formulate and express their positions on issues of importance to them.

Service delivery
In the realm of delivering state services to the public, good governance reforms advance human
rights when they improve the states capacity to fulfil its responsibility to provide public goods
which are essential for the protection of a number of human rights, such as the right to education,
health and food. Reform initiatives may include mechanisms of accountability and transparency,
culturally sensitive policy tools to ensure that services are accessible and acceptable to all, and
paths for public participation in decision-making.

Rule of law
Good governance initiatives may include advocacy for legal reform, public awareness-raising on
the national and international legal framework, and capacity-building or reform of institutions.

Anti-Corruption
Initiatives may include establishing institutions such as anti-corruption commissions, creating
mechanisms of information sharing, and monitoring governments use of public funds and
implementation of policies.

HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND INCOME:

A long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent material standard of living are the
basic building blocks of well-being and opportunity. These three core capabilities are universally
valued around the world, and measurable, sensible, and reliable indicators to represent the
perimeter of human development.6

A HEALTHY LIFE

The most valuable capability people possess is to be alive. Advancing human development
requires, first and foremost, expanding the real opportunities people have to avoid premature
death by disease or injury, to enjoy protection from arbitrary denial of life, to live in a healthy
environment, to maintain a healthy lifestyle, to receive quality medical care, and to attain the
highest possible standard of physical and mental health.

ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE
Access to knowledge is a critical determinant of long-term well-being and is essential to
individual freedom, self-determination, and self-sufficiency. Education is critical to peoples real
freedom to decide what to do and who to be. Education builds confidence, confers status and
dignity, and broadens the horizons of the possible as well as allowing for the acquisition of skills
and credentials. Globalization and technological change have made it extraordinarily difficult for
poorly educated Americans to achieve the economic self-sufficiency, peace of mind, and selfrespect enabled by a secure livelihood.

Indicators of access to knowledge:

Access to knowledge is measured using two indicators: school enrollment for the population age
3 and older, and educational degree attainment for the population 25 years and older.

STANDARD OF LIVING:

Income is essential to meeting basic needs like food and shelter and to moving beyond these
necessities to a life of genuine choice and freedom. Income enables valuable options and
alternatives, and its absence can limit life chances and restrict access to many opportunities.
Income is a means to a host of critical ends, including a decent education; a safe, clean living
environment; security in illness and old age; and a say in the decisions that affect ones life.
Money isnt everything, but its something quite important.

Indicators:
A decent standard of living is measured using median personal earnings of all full- and part-time
workers 16 years and older.

Participation in decision-making
Participation is both a right, and a means to more sustainable development. When communities
are actively engaged in their own development processes, project outcomes will be better
targeted to local needs and results will be more sustainable. Political participation, freedom of
association, freedom of speech and freedom of the press, are also fundamental human rights and
are widely seen as development objectives. Strengthening the rule of law and the justice sector is
key to ensuring that human rights are protected. 7

Conclusion:
Thus in the light of above given arguments and the ways and means through which human
development and democratic governance can be related to each other we can assume that
democratic governance is by far the most necessary measure to influence an individuals life
style, his standard of living, health and education along with other factors formulating human
developmental process. However, for human development to occur; democratic governance is
not compulsory to be in practice. Good governance by a non-democratic setup can also ensure
human development if it holds a developmental approach towards its subjects, thus for human
development to occur good governance and proper allocation of resources while ensuring the
rights of citizens is necessary. Once this approach is taken into account human development will
occur as a compulsory product to these measures. To conclude; we may well assume that human
development and democratic governance are strongly related and for the former to occur the later
is the first and foremost priority but it doesnt justify it as the only measure and other such
approaches can as well play a vital role is increasing or affecting human development.

1.Democratic governance
Jens hoff , ivan horrocks and peiter tops by London and newyork

2.Democratic Measures by the social sciences research council

3.Human development report (1997) by United Nations

4.Runaway beaurocracy?
Inernational journal of political science and management; September 10 2010

5.UNMIT(United Nations integrated mission in temor lesette

6.Nonmajoritarian Institutions and the Limits of Democratic Governance: A Political
Transaction-Cost Approach

7.Majone, Giandomenico at journal of institutional and theoretical performance March 2001

8.Democratic Governance Beyond the Nation-State:

MICHAEL ZRN
Institute for Intercultural and International Studies (InIIS), University of Bremen

9.Trust and governance

Valaire braitvathe and Margaret levi
Bibliography

Human development- means and ends by sterren paul

May 1994

Governance for Human Development by Dr. G Shabir Cheema