ABSTRACT
During the past two decades there has been a series of far-reaching reforms of the public sector in a number of countries. These reforms have been informed by the twin concepts of ‘good governance’ and ‘new public management’ (Turner and Hulme 1997). Definitions of good governance vary but, broadly speaking, the term is used to include the following major components:
• the accountability of governments for the decisions made and the actions taken by both political representatives and public officials;
• the competency of governments to manage their resources to deliver public services effectively and efficiently to all citizens;
• the legitimacy of governments through democratic and participatory processes;
• the respect of governments for the rights of citizens and civil institutions.
