ABSTRACT
Debates about governance in the health sector have largely stemmed from urban settings where the role of local government is sometimes being strengthened through decentralization and where attempts at community involvement – for example, through the formation of neighbourhood health committees – have been more active and, arguably, more successful than in rural areas. Within the health sector itself, it is environmental health activities, rather than curative health services, which have been prioritized by community members and which lend themselves most readily to the principles of governance. In this chapter, a conceptual framework of governance is presented, followed by highlights of current thinking about sustainable development and environmental health; then a case study from South Africa is used to illustrate the link between governance and health.
