Bad governance is being increasingly regarded as one of the root causes of all evil within our societies. It is as old as human civilization. Governance can be used in several contexts such as corporate governance, international governance, national governance and local governance.
Government is one of the actors in governance.
Other actors involved in governance vary depending on the level of government that is under discussion. In rural areas, for example, other actors may include influential land lords, associations of peasant farmers, cooperatives, NGOs, research institutes, religious leaders, finance institutions political parties, the military etc. The situation in urban areas is much more complex. Figure 1 provides the interconnections between actors involved in urban governance. In some countries in addition to the civil society, organized crime syndicates also influence decision-making, particularly in urban areas and at the national level.