Synopses & Reviews
While good governance is a worthy goal, this book argues that it is not a prerequisite for economic growth or development. The book exposes the methodological shortcomings of the commonly-used governance indicators developed within the World Bank. The authors argue that donors should not impose onerous good governance conditions, expecting the developing world to simulate now-developed countries. They contend that most poor countries lack the administrative and financial capacity to achieve these reforms or institutions - so donor conditionality often becomes a recipe for failure.
In place of grand government reforms aimed at enhancing market efficiency, the book's position is that the reform agenda should target strategic bottlenecks for development and enhance the state's capacity to deal with these disruptions. Bringing together contributions from leading political scientists, political economists and development practitioners, this is the first book to provide a systematic critical perspective on received notions of good governance.
Synopsis
Governance, Development and Growth critically evaluates conventional ideas about governance and development , highlighting that while good governance is a worthy goal by itself, it is not a prerequisite for economic growth or development as the donor community commonly believes.
Synopsis
Whilst good governance is a worthy goal by itself, this book argues that it is not a prerequisite for economic growth or development. Challenging the conventional good governance paradigm favoured by the donor community, this book exposes the methodological shortcomings of the commonly-used governance indicators developed within the World Bank. It argues that aggregate good governance indicators are less helpful for identifying governance failure in specific areas needing policy interventions. Bringing together contributions from leading political scientists, political economists and development practitioners, this is the first book that focuses on such good governance issues.
Synopsis
This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on bloomsburycollections.com.
While good governance is a worthy goal, this book argues that it is not a prerequisite for economic growth or development. The book exposes the methodological shortcomings of the commonly-used governance indicators developed within the World Bank. The authors argue that donors should not impose onerous good governance conditions, expecting the developing world to simulate now-developed countries. They contend that most poor countries lack the administrative and financial capacity to achieve these reforms or institutions - so donor conditionality often becomes a recipe for failure.
In place of grand government reforms aimed at enhancing market efficiency, the book's position is that the reform agenda should target strategic bottlenecks for development and enhance the state's capacity to deal with these disruptions. Bringing together contributions from leading political scientists, political economists and development practitioners, this is the first book to provide a systematic critical perspective on received notions of good governance.
About the Author
Jomo Kwame Sundaram was United Nations Assistant-Secretary General for Economic Development. He was awarded the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought in 2007.
Anis Chowdhury is Chief of the Macroeconomic and Development Division of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations. He was Senior Economic Affairs Officer in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), and Professor of Economics at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.
Also by Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Anis Chowdhury (eds.) in this series: Poor Poverty: The Impoverishment of Analysis, Measurement and Policies (2011)
Contributors:
Rita Abrahamsen, Associate Professor, School of International Development and Global Studies, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, Canada
Matthew Andrews, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA
Arthur Goldsmith, Associate Dean of the College of Management, University of Massachusetts, USA
Mushtaq Khan, Professor of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK
Marcus Kurtz, Associate Professor of Political Science, Ohio State University, USA
Martin Painter is Chair and Professor of Public Administration, City University of Hong Kong
Andrew Schrank, Professor of Political Science and Sociology, University of New Mexico, USA
Brian van Arkadie, Development economist and consultant
Table of Contents
Table of Contents Lists of tables and figuresList of contributorsChapter 1 Introduction - Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Anis ChowdhuryChapter 2 The Seductiveness of Good Governance - Rita AbrahamsenChapter 3 Good Governance and Donors - Brian Van Arkadie Chapter 4 Perception and Misperception in Governance Research: Evidence from Latin America - Marcus J. Kurtz and Andrew SchrankChapter 5 Good Governance Scripts: Will Compliance Improve Form or Functionality? - Matt AndrewsChapter 6 Is Governance Reform a Catalyst for Development? - Arthur A. GoldsmithChapter 7 'Poor Governance' for Development in China and Vietnam - Martin PainterChapter 8 Beyond Good Governance: An Agenda for Developmental Governance - Mushtaq Khan