ABSTRACT
Good governance has emerged from developing country contexts to become part of the Western policy lexicon. For developing countries it implied the rule of law, decentralization and the reduction of corruption, often at the behest of international donor agencies.2 In the advanced capitalist contexts of the West, it has come to mean the sound and effective ‘management of … rules and practices affecting policy making’ (Kjaer 2004: 188). Given that the rules and practices can be formal or informal, restricted or widespread, within or outside government, a key task of good governance consists of furthering trust, community and accountability by vigorous and sustained interaction of state and civil society (Cohen 1989; Dryzek 2000; Elster 1998).
