Preface

Democratic governance is a concept comprising the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their rights and obligations and mediate their differences. Governance becomes democratic when it is infused with such principles as participation, rule of law, transparency, accountability and subsidiarity. Three sets of actors are engaged in the democratic governance process – those from the state, who are primarily responsible for creating an “enabling” political and legal environment; those from the private sector, who create jobs, income, goods and services; and the civil society that facilitates political and social interaction. Roles, capacities, relationships and fostering of interaction among the three sets of actors have been changing over the past few years. This has led to a “paradigm shift” from government to democratic governance corresponding with an evolving role of the state and expanding engagement of civil society.

Related Subject(s): Democracy and Governance