This post is a summary of two articles. The first with the title above was published in 2014 at http://www.codeforamerica.org/governments/principles/. The second with the title of, "Principles for good governance in the 21st century." was published at http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UNPAN/UNPAN011842.pdf
Governments through the use of technology and new ways of working can deliver a more effective, efficient, and fair governance for the 21st century. Through these, we have identified seven principles that we believe are critical for governments of any size, strucuture, or political persuasion in serving their communities. Governments should learn and apply these principles to any problem. 1) Design for people's needs - Government's purpose is to serve residents, and we can do this best when we deeply understand who we are working for. When government services are designed to treat all residents with respect, emphaty, and dignity, a transformative trust can be gained. Begin all projects by conducting research with the people to understand who they are and what they need. Design policy, and services around those needs, continuously returning to residents to get feedback. 2) Make it easy for everyone to participate - Serving everyone means working with, not just for, a true cross-section of the community. Governments should proactively collaborate with the community and seek participation from all residents in decisions that affect them. Communicate using language that is easy to understand. 3) Focus on what government can do - Government can not and should not do everything alone. With limited resources to solve complex problems, they should prioritize the work they can have most impact. Develop relationships with partners working towards similar goals, like universities to share skills and resources. Make it easy for others to build on their work by offering data with clear documentation. 4) Make data easy to find and use - Open data helps make government better. Governments hold a lot of information that is valuable and sometimes critically important. A 21st century government makes public data available so that others can use it in meaningful ways. Gets the relevant data at the right time, in a format that is easy to undestand for all. 5) Use data to make and improve decisions. - Good decisions are informed by data, and as we gather more information by testing assumptions, we can make better decisions. 21st century governments use data tools to get a more complete understanding of problems. Start with small solutions, test them to gather more data, and make improvements based on what is learned. Make this data publicy available to drive transparency, civic engagement, and accountability. 6) Organize for results - The successful governments have been those that challenge and reform policies and practices that are outdated and inefficient. This is nothing but the transformation of government, with technology and new processes working together. 21st century governments work in an agile way, continuously improving existing processes. Support new approaches to problems. Invest in staff to build skills, as well as hiring new talent. Acknowledge and reward good work. Recognize that once service has been delivered, continuous improvement must be in place.
Defining the principles of good governance is difficult and controversial. The United Nations development Program (UNDP) enunciates a set of principles that, with slight variations, appear in much of the literature. There is strong evidence that these UNDP principles have a claim to universal recognition. In grouping them in five broad themes, we recognize that these principles often overlap or are conflicting at some point, that they play out in practice according to the actual social context, applying such principles is complex, and that they are all about not only the results of power but how well it is exercised. 1) Legitimacy and Voice - All men and women should have a voice in decision-making, either directly or through intermediate institutions. Good governance mediates differing interests to reach a broad consensus on what is in the best interest. 2) Direction - Leaders and the public have a broad and long-term perspective on good governance and human development. There is also an understand of the historical, cultural and social complexities in which that perspective is grounded. 3) Performance - Institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders. Effectiveness and efficiency so the processes and produce results that meet needs while making the best use of resources. 4) Accountability - Decision-making in government, the private sector and civil society organizations are accountable to the public, as well as to institutional stakeholders. This accountability differs depending on the organizations and whether the decisions is internal and external. Transparency is built on the free flow of information. Enough information is provided to understand. 5) Fairness - All men and women have opportunities to improve or maintain their well-being. Legal frameworks should be fair and enforced impartially, particularly the law on human rights. Of the five principles, "Legitimacy and voice" and "Fairness" have the strongest claim to universal recognition based on over a half century of U.N. accomplishments in the field of human rights. Fairness is about the rule of law, among other things, this principle encompass an independent judiciary and right to seek legal remedies. Governance opens new intellectual space. It provides a concept that allow us to discuss the role of government in coping with public issues and the contribution that other players may make. It opens one's mind to the possibility that groups in society other than government many have to play a stronger role in addressing problems. The central conclusion is that a universal set of principles for defining good governance can be fashioned and that the strength of their universality rests to the body of international human rights. In addtion, these principles can be usefully applied to help deal with current governance challenges. Finally, the nature of governance, both the means and the end, needs to be understood. Only then it make sense to elaborate the principles in order to create a meaningful analytical tool.
