The concept 'Governance' in Public Administration

Abstract

Governance has become a leading theme in policy development discourse and social science scholarship. Although the phenomenon is well established in South Africa, and despite the popularity of the phenomenon among both theoreticians and practitioners, there is still a lack of conceptual consensus. It has multiple meanings and there is uncertainty in its different usages. Governance was popularised in the 1980s by two of the main supporters and financiers of development, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after they had realised that the macroeconomic and fiscal policy reforms as applied to developing countries failed to produce the expected economic outcomes. Governance is a conceptual problematique. In its original sense the word governance means steering or simply, navigating, giving direction. The aim of this study is to conceptualise governance in Public Administration; therefore, the object is governance and the context for its consideration is Public Administration. An attempt is made to find space for governance in Public Administration with the focus on the importance of theorising in support of a discipline. In conclusion to the study, the researcher propagates that governance in Public Administration means governments and their officials exerting influence outside their jurisdiction to achieve policy and operational aims.