The United Nation ’ s definition of good governance stresses that “ in the community of nations , governance is considered ‘ good ’ and ‘ democratic ’ to the degree in which a country ’ s institutions and processes are transparent . ‘ Its institutions ’ refers to such bodies as parliament and its various ministries . ‘ Its processes ’ includes such key activities as elections and legal procedures , which must be seen to be free of corruption and accountable to the people . A country ’ s success in achieving this standard has become a key measure of its credibility and respect in the world 60 .” The World Bank , UN Development Programme ( UNDP ) and US Agency for International Development ( USAID 61 ) all use fundamentally similar definitions , and are similarly uncritical of their own conclusions regarding legitimacy and their reliance on the strength of institutions .
While none of the above deploy the phrase liberal democracy , all of them imply that good governance and western democracy are synonymous . They attempt to describe a form of government defined by the rule of law , with free , fair and competitive elections between multiple political parties rooted in political and needsbased rather than identity-based , ethnic or sectarian grounds . The powers of government are limited by a written and legally binding constitution and through such institutional means as separation of powers and by procedural requirements that enforce powersharing among local leaders and government officials . We can shorthand this by invoking President Abraham Lincoln ’ s words from the Gettysburg Address — “ government of the people , by the people , and for the people .”
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