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Governance, Democracy, Consolidation and the ‘End of Transition’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2004

TAKASHI INOGUCHI
Affiliation:
Institute of Oriental Culture, University of [email protected]
PAUL BACON
Affiliation:
Institute of Oriental Culture, University of [email protected]

Extract

The notion of governance: a multi-level phenomenon

There is a substantial literature on governance, but little agreement on precisely what it means, as a result of which the term is often used in different ways. A sophisticated and flexible formulation is offered by The Commission on Global Governance, which defines governance as ‘the sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private, manage their common affairs. It is a continuing process through which conflicting or diverse interests may be accommodated and cooperative action may be taken. It includes formal institutions and regimes empowered to enforce compliance, as well as informal arrangements that people and institutions either have agreed to or perceive to be in their interest’ (1995: 2).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

I would like to express deep gratitude to the Japan Foundation for financial assistance and for holding a stimulating and rich conference on governance. Thanks to Ambassador Bernard Zepter, Head of Delegation of the European Commission in Japan, and also Richard Christenson, Minister of the United States Embassy in Tokyo, for providing us with their updated thinking on the European Union's and the United States' thinking with regard to Central–Eastern Europe and East and Southeast Asia, respectively. I also appreciate the lively participation of a good number of members of the Japan Association of International Relations.