Adjusting good governance architecture to achieve public service excellence

Abstract

Public reform in developing countries shows characteristics of inefficiencies, lack of political will and public funds. Globalisation has shaped concepts of economic growth and determined perceptions of governance. Worldwide, governments have become preoccupied with “implementation”, performance and how to apply the principles of good governance. Good governance is defined as the betterment of the quality of life of each citizen. Decentralisation is regarded as an indispensable element of participative democracy, as it allows citizens to communicate their preferences to elected officials. Political decentralisation refers to shifting power by selecting political leadership and representatives, from central to local governments. This transfers the power and authority (vertical decentralisation) for socio-politico-economic divisions from central to local government and to communities (horizontal decentralisation). Economic decentralisation becomes the mechanism for financing government expenditure (tax structures) and supplying goods and services in a collective way within a decentralised system. Establishing an institutional framework that promotes decentralisation within a flexible, integrative, innovative and dynamic modern delivery model and that clusters services together in a seamless bureaucratic environment is therefore a key challenge. Ensuring “better government” by implementing a seamless approach implies a common vision and delivery strategy, organisational change, co-operation and collaboration between partners and interacting networks.