Challenging Good Local Governance

Experiences from Afghanistan

Conrad SchetterBonn, 4 October 2007

Good Governance versus Governance

Good Governance

getting politics right

from top down to bottom up

guided by the paradigm of liberal democracy

Good Governance versus GovernanceGovernance refers to the formation and stewardship of the formal and informal rules that regulate the public realm, the arena in which states as well as economic and social actors interact to make decisions (Goran Hyden 2002)

academic perspective on mechanisms and rules, which generate policy outcomes

ZEF projects on GovernanceAll large ZEF-projects on natural resources include a governance dimension (GLOWA; Khorezm etc.)

Further projectsGood Governance and the Law-making Process for Economic Reforms in Morocco, Egypt and Jordan (Noha al-Mikawy)Alternative Institutions for Natural Resource Management in Developing Countries (Stefanie Engel)The Impact of Liberalization cum Decentralization Economies on Russias Agro-food Sector (Peter Wehrheim)

ZEF projects on Governance

ZEF-Governance Research interlinked with research on knowledge cultural diversity decentralization

Good Local Governance in Fragile States

Why important?on the local level people are facing decision making process on a daily basis lack of state structures on the local levellack of contact persons for development agencies

Good Local Governance in Fragile States

Good Local Governance aims

to empower local communities

to introduce liberal democratic principles

Research AreaKunduz

Good Local Governance in AfghanistanProjects quick and visible increasing the acceptance and physical security of IOs/NGOs

Intervening in existing power structuresmanifestation of power structuresde-legitimacy of democratic principles or destabilization of the local social order

Good Local Governance in Afghanistan

Undercover State Building via Good Local Governanceidentifying, shaping and territorializing of village communities

IOs/NGOs Agencies of modernityIOs/NGOs are symbolizing the enforcement of a new order and the restructuring of power

Conclusion

Good Governance is caught between two normative dilemmasa) Encouraging ownership of the peopleb) Introducing modern standards

Conclusion

Role of research at ZEFGenerating knowledge about the policy and the implementation of good governance approachesGenerating knowledge about local institutions and actors

*Viele Dank fr Ihre AufmerksamkeitThank you for your attentionMore information available: www.zef/amudarya.0.de