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Is Better Governance the Enemy

of Good Enough?

Derick W. Brinkerhoff

Research Triangle Institute

Presentation at:

International Food Policy Research Institute

Washington DC

October 11, 2005

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The good governance agenda

Relatively strong donor consensus on the

components and the desirability of good governance.The good governance agenda includes:

Respect for the rule of law

Transparency and a free flow of information

High levels of accountability

Effective management of public resources

Control of corruption

Significant citizen participation and equity.

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Good vs. bad governance

An evil twin for each of the positive features of good

governance:Unjust/unenforced legal systems

Opaque decision-making and abuse of executive

powerUnaccountable bureaucracies

Arbitrary policy-making and clientelist resourceallocation

Widespread corruption

Social exclusion and unengaged civil society

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Assumptions of the good-badgovernance dichotomy

Formal systems (institutions, rules, procedures) areassociated with good governance

Informal systems (institutional dualism) tend to be

associated with bad governance

All the elements of good governance go together

All the elements of good governance are necessary

All the elements of bad governance need to bereduced or eliminated

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Good vs. good enough governance

Real countries fall between the good-bad dichotomy

of ideal typesSome degree of institutional dualism/informality is:

Inevitable

Potentially beneficial (or at least not harmful)

Examples:

Brazilshantytown associations and local

politicians

Moroccomakhzen system

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History and good governance: the caseof the United States

Patronage and pork

Urban political machines

Clean elections

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Good enough governance strategyTrade-offs

Complementarities

Capacity

Outcomes

Increased investment and growth Equitable service delivery

Social stability

Sustainability

Selectivity and targeting

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Example: Madagascar forestry reform

All the elements of the good governance agendafigure strongly in Madagascars environment program

& specifically in the forest sector.

The GOM has made good governance a key focus of

national policy and directed each sectoral ministry to

include good governance in its program.

USAID is funding the Sustainable Environment and

Forest Ecosystems Management Project (SEFEM orJariAla) to support reform.

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Governance deficits

Dominant role of Department of Water and Forests(DGEF) without checks and balances

Limited comprehension of what is good governance

Weak agencies of restraintWeak civil society

Rampant corruption

Overexploitation of forest resources

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Applying a good enough governancestrategy

Build constraints on forest governance actors throughincreased accountability, transparency, checks and

balances.

Build actors capacities to fulfill their roles in forestgovernance through increased partnership and

improved management effectiveness.

Track progress through impacts on outcomes, e.g.,

improved permitting processes, DGEF service user

satisfaction surveys, community management

contracts, etc.

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Sources of constraints: Examples

Citizen oversight committees

Service delivery surveys

Civil society watchdog organizations

Investigative journalism (media)

Advisory boards

Ombudsman offices

Blue ribbon panels

Citizens charters

Sunshine laws

Weaker

Elections

Professional codes of conduct

National/international standard-setting

bodies

Accreditation agencies

Referenda

Supreme audit institutions

Courts

Inspectors general

Law enforcement agencies

Parliamentary hearings

Administrative review councils

Anti-corruption agencies

Stronger

Outside governmentInside government

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Some key issues

Potential overload on GOMPresidents office (withdonor support) has Cadillac vision of good

governance

Long timeframe for forestry sector outcomes requires

creativity in intermediate indicators that can credibly

link governance improvements to results

How to reach the tipping point on institutional

dualism and good enough governance