Answer:
APPROACH AND STRUCTURE
1. Write an introduction on governance.
2. Write some basics about governance by describing its features.
3. Then write how it’s less managerial and more political.
4. Examine part: Then write how it’s still managerial.
5. Conclude.
INTRODUCTION: Francis Fukuyama defines governance as enforcement of rule of law and delivery of essential services by state to its citizens.
BODY:Governance refers to the exercise of political, economic, and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs, including citizens’ articulation of their interests. Governance refers to the process by which decisions are made and enforced through public agencies and partners to achieve the common good of its citizens. It explains how a country does govern itself.
Traditionally governance was the manner in which government exercises so were in power. So thereby, conventionally government and governance used to be understood from a structural point of view. By the 1980s, these terms were understood increasingly from a functional perspective reflecting a shifting pattern in styles of governing in which the boundaries within and between public and other sectors have become blurred.
Consequent developments like sixth paradigm of Public Administration as Governance from 1990 by Nicholas Henry. It adopted a new type of approach ‘institutional and networked’ instead of institutional approach. It calls for use of stakeholders, networks, collaboration, and partnerships. So, Nicholas highlights a shift from government to governance approach. The multiple actor paradigm has been adopted instead of the single actor paradigm. In this context, governance means multiplicity of actors engaged in delivery of goods and services in a collaborative or networked fashion.
Five principles of the governance paradigm as highlighted by Gerry Stoker:
1. A network of institutions and actors from within and beyond government. (it shows political + managerial orientation)
2. The blurring of boundaries and responsibilities for tackling social and economic issues. This shift in responsibility goes beyond the public–private dimension to include notions of communitarianism and social capital. (Managerial orientation)
3. Power and resource dependence among institutions involved in collective action. (political + managerial orientation)
4. The autonomous self‐governing networks of actors.
5. The capacity to get things done which does not rest on the power of government to command or use its authority.
How governance is more about political and less about managerial response?
Governance was conceptualised gradually in a series of reports given by World bank beginning with its report on Subsaharan Africa in 1989 which delineated its four features:
1) Public sector management 〉 NPM/Managerial feature
2) Rule of law
3) Transparency Democratic features
4) Accountability
Governance gives more emphasis on process and in that process it is more citizen-driven. It is a concept having more a political response basically because it’s trying to bring change in the political process rather than managerial process.
Governance tries to bring change in the operational aspect of the state. It is not trying to be replaced by the management. It wants to be replaced by the democratic process.
All three stakeholders (public,private, CSOs) have equal stake in the governance process and these do not just keep talking about managerial technique or business orientation but its inherent aspect is citizen participaton as well as civil society, rule of law, transparency, accountability etc. these are rather democratic connotations and not managerial/business features.
Hence, we can consider governance as more of a political response rather than managerial response. And, this response is the context which tries to engage critical public and societal issues. It has been brought to bring more and more for quality.
Because participation was the core, government was not alone able to solve the problem of quality. Even business management was not able to provide adequate solution to the problem of quality management. So, the problem could be solved only through democratic way. This is how it is aimed at solving the problems of society through governance which eventually led to the emergence of Network Governance and good governance.
Examine part: Nonetheless, it’s not absolutely political response and at the same time it’s managerial response because the roots of governance can be traced to New Rights Philosophy/Neo-liberal Philosophy. Rhodes, osboren and Gaebler consider it synonymous with NPM. One of the components of governance is public sector management which is grounded on NPM principles. So, it also has managerial oientation with an aim to enhance efficiency.
CONCLUSION:
However, in broader sense governance is political response. It is founded on the premises of societal values of relevance, social justice, equity etc. Though it has features of NPM and managerialism but these are restricted only to efficiency which function as means. The ends are achievement of a goals visualised by a welfare state.
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