Governance and Developing Countries

Governance is not a topic that easily lends itself to neat and precise definitions. Although concepts and practices of governance are profoundly under-specified, they are frequently associated with three dimensions: how and why governments are structured, what processes they employ in governing, and what results they are able to accomplish in serving their societies. As scholars continue to marvel over what theories and models are utilized in the design and implementation of activities and policies of governance, popular views boldly affirm that better governance is the Third World’s best hope to remedy their political and economic woes. The articles in this book represent a wide range of scholarly interests that extend from the abstract and conceptual to the specific and applied. The articles by Baaklini, Elsenhans, and Hyden mainly are in the category of conceptual analysis. The rest of the contributions by Mavimba and Chackerian (Zimbabwe), Jabbra and Jabbra (Lebanon), Jain (India), and Nelsen (China) deal with important national experiences.