ABSTRACT: Accountability, transparency, and participation are the central themes of good governance. Good governance can mean different things to different countries. Since each country or region has a different context of governance,which it faces unique governance challenges. Therefore, it is important that the concept of “good governance” is understood in the context of each country and region to find indigenous and pragmatic solutions to problems of governance. The application of the concept of good governance to developing countries that are at different development stages have unintended and serious consequences for the citizens, especially for poor. The issue of transferability of the notion of good governance to developing countries is not being adequately attended to, while formulating a reform agenda mostly backed by international donors, especially in the case of heavily indebted countries. Developing countries are being asked to do everything which works in developed countries and, consequently, the good governance agenda in the developing world has grown long over the years. South Asia is a region rich in culture and tradition and poor in governance and human development. This paper is an attempt to examine the possibility of South Asian model(s) of governance to capture and address the complexities and challenges of governance in this particular region.

KEY WORDS: Good governance, constraints and possibilities, democracy and prosperity, and South Asian countries.

About the Authors: Peerzada Tufail Ahmad, M.Phil. is a Ph.D. Student at the Department of International Relations KU (Kirikkale University) in Turkey; and Dr. Hilal Ahmad Wani is a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies UOI (University of Ilorin) in Nigeria. They can be contacted via e-mail at: pztufail.kat@gmail.com and wanihilal@gmail.com

How to cite this article? Ahmad, Peerzada Tufail & Hilal Ahmad Wani. (2013). “Constraints and Possibilities of Good Governance in South Asia” in EDUCARE: International Journal for Educational Studies, Vol.5(2) February, pp.147-160. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press owned by ASPENSI in Bandung, West Java; and FKIP UMP in Purwokerto, Central Java, ISSN 1979-7877.

Chronicle of the article: Accepted (December 22, 2012); Revised (January 23, 2013); and Published (February 17, 2013).

Alberitton, Robert B. (2009). “Are Democracy And Good Governance Always Compatible?” in Asian Barometer, pp.1-22.

Azmat, F. & K. Coghill. (2005). “Good Governance and Market Based Reforms: A Study of Bangladesh” in International Review of Administrative Sciences, 71(4), pp.625-638.

Burki, Shahid Javid. (2011). “Good Governance Issues in South Asia” in International Herald Tribune, 11th September.

Cheema, G. (2005). Building Democratic Institutions: Governance Reform in developing Countries. Bloomfield, USA: Kumarian Press.

Chowdhury, A. (2002). “Politics, Society, and Financial Sector Reform” in International Journal Social Economics, 29(12), pp.963-88.

Court, J. (2001). “Assessing and Analyzing Governance in India: Evidence from a New Survey” in World Governance Assessment Project Working Paper, No.1.

Daily Dawn [Newspaper]. Islamabad, Pakistan: 16th March 2006.

Desai, M. (2000). Poverty and Governance. New York, USA: UNDP Bureau for Policy Development.

Grindle, Merilee. (2004). ”Good Enough Governance: Poverty Reduction and Reform in Developing Countries” in Governance: An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions, 17(4), pp.525-548.

HDC [Human Development Centre].(1999). Human Development Report. New York: Oxford University Press.

Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s Consequences. Beverly Hills, CA:Sage.

http://princeclauschair.nl/storage/documents/7806PCC_annualreport2006.pd [acessed in Ilorin, Nigeria: 9th October 2012].

http://princeclauscannualreport2006.pdf [acessed in Ilorin, Nigeria: 9th October 2012].

Hussain, A. (2004). “Institutions, Economic Structure, and Poverty in Pakistan” in South Asia Economic Journal, 5(1), pp.69-102.

Islam, N. (2001). “Democracy and Governance in Pakistan’s Fragmented Society” in International Journal of Public Administration, 24(12), pp.1335-1355.

Islam, N. (2004). “Safarish, Sycophants, Power, and Collectivism: Administrative Culture in Pakistan” in International Review of Administrative Sciences, 70(2), pp.311-330.

Jabeen, N. (2000). “Gender Bias in Organizational Leadership” in Empowerment of Women in South Asia. Hyderabad, India: Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia,

Jain, R.B. (2009). “Towards Good Governace: A South Asian Prespective” in Nepalese Jounal of Public Policy and Governance, Vol.XXV, No.2 [December], pp.1-18.

Khan, S. (1998). Essays on Pakistan’s Political Economy. Islamabad: Sustainable Policy Development Institute.

Khan, H. (2000). “The Efficiency Implications of Corruption” in Robert Williams [ed]. In Explaining Corruption. Cheltenham, India: Edward Elgar.

Minocha, O.P. (1998). “Good Governance: New Public Management Perespective” in The Indian Journal of Public Administration, July-September, p.273.

Nikolas Tarling,(2005), Corruption and Good Governance in Asia, London:Tylor&Francis,pp. 55-57.

Sarker, A. (2006). “New Public Management in Developing Countries” in International Journal of Public Sector Management, 19(2), pp.2006.

Shelley, M. (2004). “In the Shadows of Executive Dominance” in The Daily Star, 14th Anniversary Special, 14 January. Available also at: www.thedailystar.net [accessed in UP, India: 9th October 2012].

Sobhan, R. (2004). “Structural Dimensions of Malgovernance in Bangladesh” in Economic and Political Weekly. Dakka, Bangladesh: September 4, pp.1-4 and 17.

UNDP [United Nations Development Program]. (2005). Poverty Reduction and Good Governance. New York, USA: UNDESA [United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs].

World Bank. (1999). World Development Report, 1999-2000. New York: Oxford University Press.

Zafarullah, H. & Y. Akhter. (2001). “Military Rule, Civilization, and Electoral Corruption: Pakistan and Bangladesh in Perspective” in Asian Studies Review, 25(1), pp.73-94.