What is the perspective of the Office of Governance on 'governance'?

Governance is the compentent management of resources and business in a manner that is transparent, accountable and responsive. 

What is the perspective of the Office of Governance on key principles of 'good governance'?

There are four key principles that are the focus of the Office of Governance:  Accountability, Transparency/Openess, Inclusiveness and Justice.

• Accountability is the providing timely information and reporting of on-going activities.
• Transparency and Openess is ensuring that information is accessible and that objectives and expectations are clear.
• Inclusiveness is the inclusion of all whether groups and individuals.
• Justice is the respect for the rule of  law. 

What is the present focus of the Office of Governance?

The present focus of the Office of Governance is promoting the improvement of the public service, influencing the development of structures and capacities of government agencies such as Oversight Bodies and supporting policies formulated for the common good.

How do the AusAID define governance?

According to the Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program (AusAID), governance is the exercise of power or authority—political, economic administrative or otherwise—to manage a country’s resources and affairs.  Good governance comprises the mechanisms, processes and institutions, through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences.

How does UNDP define governance?

According to UNDP - Programme on Governance in the Arab Region, 2002 governance denotes the “exercise of political, economic, and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs at all levels. Good governance encompasses the state, civil society, and the private sector …  Its dimensions are the rule of law, transparency, responsiveness and efficiency, accountability, and strategic vision”.

How does the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat define governance?

According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat define governance 2004, pressures to reform the governance of private sector organizations have now extended to those in the Public Sector.  In this more demanding environment, good public governance is understood to be about relationships, based on shared values and principles between citizens, the government, and entities that exercise state delegated power for the management of public policies, resources, and services.

There are several elements in a sound governance system, namely:

• Clarity of objectives and expectations
• Clear lines of accountability
• Transparency in the application of/and compliance with rules

How does the Jamaican Public Service define governance?

According to the Jamaican Public Service through the Public Sector Reform Unit, Office of the Prime Minister, has defined good governance as the exercise of power of the country’s resources through economic, political and administrative management.  It offered some elements of good governance as:

openness, justice, inclusiveness, accountability, and principles of good governance as: participation, facilitation, equitable access, partnerships, open and accountable

How does the Commonwealth Public Administration Reform define governance?

According to the Commonwealth Public Administration Reform 2003, good governance has been aligned with the “social sciences alongside terms such as social and sustainable development, democracy, civil society, and participation”.  In public management it is viewed as an “aspect of the new paradigm on public administration, which emphasizes the role of public managers in providing high quality services that citizens value, and demands for measures and rewards for both organizational and individual performance”. 

Whose responsibility is it to practice good governance principles?

ALL organizations mandated to serve the public good i.e. governments, private sector organizations i.e. public companies and non-government organizations, churches, labor unions, community based organizations, etc...