Focus on civil society, good governance

Civil society is part of the broader society that consists of organisations and institutions that look after people, their health, and their rights. It does not include the government or the family. Civil society is the aggregate of non-governmental organisations and institutions that upholds the interests and will of citizens; and also the individuals and organisations in a society which are independent of the government. The World Bank has defined the term 'civil society' to refer to the wide array of non-governmental and not-for-profit organisations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of its members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), therefore, refer to a wide range of organisations: community groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organisations, faith-based organisations, professional associations, and foundations.
Governance is the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority to manage a nation's affairs. It is the complex mechanisms, processes, relationships and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their rights and obligations and mediate between their differences. Governance encompasses every institution and organisation in society, from the family to the state, and embraces all methods --- good and bad --- that societies use to distribute power and manage public resources and problems. 'Good governance' is a term that has become a part of the vernacular of a large range of development institutions and other actors in the international arena. Good governance is, therefore, a subset of governance, wherein public resources and problems are managed effectively, efficiently and in response to critical needs of society. Effective democratic forms of governance rely on public participation, accountability and transparency.
Governance has three segments: economic, political and administrative. Economic governance includes decision-making processes that affect a country's economic activities and their relationships with other economies. It clearly has major implications for equity, poverty and quality of life. Political governance is the process of decision-making to formulate policy. Administrative governance is the system of policy implementation. Encompassing all the three, good governance defines the processes and structures that guide political and socio-economic relationships.
Good governance is, among other things, participatory, transparent and accountable. It is also effective and equitable. And it promotes the rule of law. Good governance ensures that political, social and economic priorities are based on broad consensus in society and that the voices of the poorest and the most vulnerable are heard in decision-making over the allocation of development resources.
UNDP has defined the characteristics of good governance as: (i) Participation --- All men and women should have a voice in decision-making, either directly or through legitimate intermediate institutions that represent their interests. Such broad participation is built on freedom of association and speech, as well as capacities to participate in those constructively. (ii) Rule of law --- Legal frameworks should be fair and enforced impartially, particularly the laws on human rights. (iii) Transparency --- Transparency is built on the free flow of information. Processes, institutions and information are directly accessible to those concerned with them, and enough information is provided to understand and monitor them. (iv) Responsiveness --- Institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders. (v) Consensus Orientation --- Good governance mediates between differing interests to reach a broad consensus on what is in the best interests of the group and, where possible, on policies and procedures. (vi) Equity --- All men and women have opportunities to improve or maintain their well-being. (vii) Effectiveness and efficiency --- Processes and institutions produce results that meet needs while making the best use of resources. (viii) Accountability--- Decision-makers in government, the private sector and civil society organisations are accountable to the public, as well as to institutional stakeholders. This accountability differs depending on the organisation and whether the decision is internal or external to an organisation. (ix) Strategic vision--- Leaders and the public have a broad and long-term perspective on good governance and human development, along with a sense of what is needed for such development. There is also an understanding of the historical, cultural and social complexities in which that perspective is grounded.
European Centre for Development Policy Management (2004) has said that as civil society becomes more visible and powerful in the public sphere, national governments, international donor agencies, development theorists and civil society actors alike are coming to realise that civil society's credibility can no longer be taken for granted. Civil society organisations need to endorse the good governance agenda if they are to earn public trust.
ETHICS, PERFORMANCE AND TRUST: Good governance can be regarded as a moral stance --- a supreme value that maximises the common good and is, therefore, to be pursued in public and private spheres, including in civil society. In this framework, civil society organisations that claim to be credible change agents are obliged to operate according to specific civic norms. As a result, the credibility of civil society organisations depends much on the perception that they uphold the values they claim to represent, such as democracy, social justice, equity, transparency, accountability, effectiveness and the rule of law.
REPRESENTATION AND VOICE: Civil society organisations are becoming aware of the need to set up a clear governance agenda that effectively deals with civil society organisations and must respond to claims raised by a wider range of actors --- upward to their trustees, governments and resource providers and downward to their partners, networks of related organisations, local communities, staff and supporters.
Campaign for People's Goals for Sustainable Development (2012) revealed that good governance is essential to achieving development, while true participatory democracy ensures that development is equitable and sustainable. Public institutions need to be able to manage public resources and conduct public affairs in a manner that is free of corruption and abuse that upholds the rule of law and that protects and promotes the realisation of the rights of the people. The true measure of good governance is the ability of a government to realise the people's human rights and deliver sustainable and equitable development. Good governance is derived through transparency, accountability, participation and responsiveness to the needs of the poor, marginalised and under-represented groups.
The World Bank (2014) has shown that Bangladesh is one of the more successful developing countries in terms of accelerating growth, making growth pro-poor and improving the indicators of social progress. Over the past 10 years, the country has also managed to make progress in governance indicators. However, global indicators suggest that improving governance should remain a key priority for the full realisation of development aspirations. This includes the effectiveness of government, the transparency of authorities, and stability of political situations.  
The country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at an average 6.0 per cent a year in the last decade; but recent studies on the potential for economic growth indicates that 7.5 per cent or higher would be needed for Bangladesh to be a middle-income country by 2021.  
Strong, efficient and non-political civil society and e-governance can play a vital role in socio-economic development of a country by reducing corruption and strengthening good governance through democracy. Developing countries like Bangladesh are facing a lot of challenges to establish good governance. E-governance could be a good solution through which government can facilitate an efficient, speedy and transparent process for performing governmental administrative activities and delivery of services to the citizen and other agencies.
Considering Bangladesh's history of tumultuous politics, the country is gradually improving in terms of political stability and governance. Unfortunately, development has not been stable, mainly due to the dearth of political will and commitment. Democracy and governance in Bangladesh are still plagued by violence, corruption, outdated laws, abuse of human rights and lack of the rule of law.
IN-HOUSE DEMOCRACY: Gradually, as civil society organisations are being recognised as formal partners in development, more attention is being paid to their internal governance and management structures. The expectation is that organisations promoting democracy and participation should practise what they preach, if they are to be credible and efficient change agents in the wider political domain.
STRUCTURED ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS: In general terms, accountability requires that an organisation be fully committed to transparency in decision-making and external relationships, honest in accounting and have in place appraisal processes by which to judge whether performance is satisfactory.
In short, we need strong political leadership with commitment to fight against deep-rooted corruption, non-accountability, non-transparency and inefficiency. This is imperative for establishing good governance, and ensuring sustainable development in the country.
The writer is a lecturer at the Department of Sociology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University (BSMRSTU), Gopalganj.
 anisrahaman01@gmail.com