In Search of Better Governance in South Asia and Beyond

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Introduction

   • Ishtiaq Jamil, Steinar Askvik, Tek Nath Dhakal

   Pages 1-11

3. Understanding Governance in South Asia

   • Ishtiaq Jamil, Steinar Askvik, Tek Nath Dhakal

   Pages 13-35

4. Improving Governance: Lessons Learnt

   • Goran Hyden

   Pages 37-51

5. Good Governance and the Global Economic Crises: A New Opportunity for UNDP? Comparing WB and UNDP Good Governance Rhetoric

   • Tor Halvorsen

   Pages 53-72

6. Failed States and the Lack of Good Governance: A Causal Explanation

   • Haroon A. Khan

   Pages 73-87

7. The Quest for Better Governance: A Case Study of India

   • R. B. Jain

   Pages 89-106

8. Application of Performance-Based Management: A Case of Nepalese Civil Service Reform

   • Bharat Raj Gautam

   Pages 107-125

9. An Independent Institution of Governance? A New Statutory Civil Service in the Maldives

   • Mohamed Faizal, Rob Laking

   Pages 127-143

10. Citizens’ Trust in Public Officials: Bangladesh and Nepal Compared

    • Ishtiaq Jamil, Steinar Askvik

    Pages 145-163

11. Does Decentralization Matter for Reproductive Health Policy Implementation in Nepal?

    • Narendra Raj Paudel

    Pages 165-183

12. Women’s Political Participation in Bangladesh: The Role of Political Parties

    • Pranab Kumar Panday

    Pages 185-200

13. Governance at Grassroots–Rhetoric and Reality: A Study of the Union Parishad in Bangladesh

    • Salahuddin M. Aminuzzaman

    Pages 201-221

14. Governance in China: An Analysis of Two Cases in Kunming

    • Mei Li

    Pages 223-238

15. Challenges of Democratic Governance in South Asia and Beyond

    • Ishtiaq Jamil, Steinar Askvik, Tek Nath Dhakal

    Pages 239-247

16. Back Matter

    Pages 249-251

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The pursuit for better governance has assumed center stage in developmental discourse as well as reform initiatives of all organizations working for the public welfare, and includes such issues as service delivery and responding to citizens’ needs and demands. In the era of globalization, multilevel and new modes of governance are changing the traditional governance models of nation states, accelerated by technological innovation, rising citizen expectation, policy intervention from international and multilateral donor communities, and the hegemony of western ideology imposed on many developing nations. However, a universally accepted and agreed upon definition of 'governance’ still remains elusive. There is no consensus or agreement as to what would be the nature and form of governance and public administration. The question that is raised: Is there a universal governance mechanism that fits in all contexts or governance mechanisms should be based on home grown ideas?One can see various programs and policies of reforms and reorganizations in public administration in the developing countries, but these efforts have not been effective to address the challenging issues of economic development, employment generation, poverty reduction, ensuring equality of access to public services, maintaining fairness and equity, security and safety of citizens, social cohesion, democratic institution building, ensuring broader participation in the decision making process, and improving the quality of life. Therefore, there is a widespread concern for better governance or sound governance to bridge the gap between theory and practice, making this book of interest to academics as well as policy-makers in global public administration.

• Corruption
• Developing Countries
• Good Governance
• NGO
• Public Institutions
• South Asia

• , Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

  Ishtiaq Jamil, Steinar Askvik

• , Public Administration, Tribhuvan University, Jamal, Kathmandu, Nepal

  Tek Nath Dhakal

Policies and ethics