Good Governance

Photo: Thatcher Cook for Mercy Corps

Bad governance is broadly recognized as a root cause of poverty, often equated with global trends such as climate change or the youth bulge as a force able to rapidly undo development efforts or fuel conflict. On the other hand, governance success has the potential to quickly leverage and sustain development gains.

Governance is a powerful component of integrated programming for Mercy Corps. Since, at its core, governance is about decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented, its influence cross-cuts all sectors and locations of relief and development programming. Mercy Corps believes that each country needs to decide its own economic and social priorities with leadership from government, in partnership with and accountable to the people who live in the country. Individuals, institutions and organizations within the public, private and civil society arenas need to be strong, accountable and participatory. In this way, good governance is not an end in itself, but rather a means to building and sustaining secure, productive and just communities.

Our areas of focus for governance programs and activities are:
– Inclusive and accountable decision-making.
– Equitable civic participation and voice; and
– Effective public service delivery and government responsibility.

Issues of governance are continuously cited by the majority of country teams in analysis of the contextual factors that influence their work. This includes Mercy Corps’ strategic areas, the global challenges of mega proportions particularly for transitional environments – the Youth Factor, Climate Change and Food Security. To be consistent with our capabilities, strategy and mission, Mercy Corps: 1) Builds inclusive partnerships that facilitate diverse groups for equitable civic participation and voice; 2) Models effective good governance for accountable decision-making and effective service delivery; 3) Leverages our wide scope of programming to find creative governance solutions to complex issues; and 4) Acts as a trusted broker to convene diverse actors for agenda setting and positive change.

To learn how we help people foster and benefit from good governance, take a look at the following information.