ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the operational concepts of governance and public service reform as conditional to political stability and societal well-being. It analyzes the modus operandi of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the approaches adopted, and the stages of reform. The chapter highlights the benefits of peer review in fostering adoption of policies, standards, and practices that promote political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development, and accelerated subregional and continental integration. It looks into the role of the innovative APRM in promoting good governance through public service reform. The chapter explores the body of knowledge in the limited area of information on regional integration by highlighting the best practices and deficiencies of governance in selected African states. It also explores the extent to which lack of good governance resulted in the Arab spring. The key objectives for democracy and political governance, as correctly observed by E. Maloka, draw strongly from the declaration on unconstitutional changes of government.
