Module 2: Governance
Course Content
• Governance: Meaning, Definition, Types
• Features of Governance
• Major Governance initiatives of GoI
• Public Administration
• Role of Technology in Governance
Governance: Meaning & Definition
• Mechanism or Process of governing the political, administrative,
economical, and social authority.
• Two pillars of Governance: Accountability and Transparency:
Responsible for the success or failure of any public policy.
• These two pillars distinguish between democratic and autocratic
government.
Governance vs Government
• Government- A superstructure which maintain the public order and
facilitate the collective actions
• Governance- Process or mechanism of maintaining the public order and
facilitating the collective actions.
Government
• Superstructure
• Translate Politics to policies.
• Decision Making
• Legislation
• Implementation
• Output & Outcome
Governance
• Mechanism and Process
• Exercising political, economic, and administrative authority
• Goals, aims, targets
• Performance
• Coordination
Types of Governance
• Good Governance
Accountability & Transparency, Welfare of people
• Bad Governance
Corruption & despondency
Features of Governance
• Participation
• Accountability
• Transparency
• Communication & Responsiveness
• Rule of Law
• Effectiveness and Effectiveness
• Equity and Inclusiveness
Major Initiatives of GoI for Good Governance
• RTI Act 2005
- Fundamental Right under Article 19 (1) (a) and Article 21- Right to Life and
Right to Personal Liberty
- Public Information Officer and Appellate PIO
- Central Information Commission and State Information Commission
- Exclusion- on the basis of Sovereignty and Integrity of India.
Ex. Secrecy of Trade and Commerce, Intellectual Property, IB, RAW, CBI, ED,
Narcotics, Defence Forces
• E-Governance
- Ensure Transparency
- Empower the citizens
- Lowering cost and time
- Result Oriented
Example: DBT, JAM, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.
• Citizen Charter
- Expression of Understanding (EoU) between citizens and service provider
- to improve quality and quantity of public services
Public Administration: Concept
• In the course of social evolution, State emerged as the sovereign
public authority superseding and overseeing all other social
formations such as churches, guilds etc.
• Bureaucracy- enforcement agency of the Government.
• If Government is the “action arm” of the State. Then public
administration is “Government in action”.
• Legislature, Executive and Judiciary are the three organs of the government.
• Public administration is usually associated with the executive organ of the
government.
• Bureaucracy is a specially recruited and organized arm of government functioning
as the centerpiece of public administration.
• Hence, Public administration and bureaucracy are often used in equivalent terms.
• Bureaucracy is the price of parliamentary democracy: Herbert Morrison
• They serve the government and not the party in power.
Role of Public Administration in Policy
Formulation
• The role of bureaucracy in policy making is informative, suggestive
and analytical.
• Introspect the proposals put before them by the subordinates
• To add their own knowledge and insight into the proposals
• Economic viability
• Political expediency of proposed policy
• Arrange the resources, man power, administrative capacities &
limitations
Importance of Bureaucracy in Policy Formulation
• Information Base
• Knowledge and Experience
• Permanence of Service
• Advisory Expertise
Role of Public Administration in Policy
Implementation
• The bureaucrats are considered to be the agency of government for getting the
benefits of legislation to the public through implementation of various policies.
• The implementation of policies by the bureaucracy helps in building the credibility
of political executive in the eyes of common people.
• The important duties of the bureaucrats are to:
(i) Execute policies and orders, as prescribed by the government,
(ii) Maintain and keep in order the overall administrative apparatus which lies within
its official charge
(iii) Give advice to the political executive regarding rules of procedure, regulation etc.
Role of Public Administration in Policy Evaluation
• Evaluating the choices and outcomes of the policies.
• Its dimensions include
1. Purposes,
2. Interventions,
3. Political feasibility,
4. Public perceptions, and other determinants.
Role of Technology in Governance
• Ensure Transparency
• Ensure accountability
• Responsive
• Empowering citizens
• Lowering cost and time required for service delivery
• Result oriented
• Avoid Human errors
Indian experiments with Technology driven
Good Governance models.
• COWIN Platform
• AADHAR
• JAM
• UPI/Digital Payment
• Public Grievance Redressal Systems
• SMART Cities
• GST
• Geo tagging
• Reducing corruption in land management systems using blockchain
According to a study by Transparency International, an estimated $700
million is being paid in bribes at land registration administrators across India.
The government of Andhra Pradesh state is utilizing blockchain technology to
address issues of fraud and corruption in the state by implementing a
blockchain-based platform which would make land ownership data records
encrypted and thus incorruptible and transparent.
Topic for Self Study
• What is SMART Governance?
• Use of Technology in Healthcare, Education, Housing, Service Delivery
etc.