government vs governance
Government and governance are two words that sound similar but are different in meaning. Difference between government and governance is confusing for many people, and this article intends to clarify the meaning and definition of the two words so as to leave no scope for confusion. An analogy can be drawn between officer and official and also bureaucrat and bureaucracy if we wish to understand difference between government and governance.
Government
This is a body that comprises a person or a group of persons who run the administration of a country. This is a means in which power is exercised. There are various forms of governments such as democracy or autocracy but this article will remain confined to the general term government which is commonly used in social sciences. In normal circumstances, a state is run by a government that has a mandate from the people to run the affairs of the country and also a term that may be of 4-6 years to serve the state. Thus there is a succession of governments in any country or the same government may be elected again for a successive term if people feel that it has done its job of running the country in a fair and close to ideal manner.
Governance
The word governance refers to the activities of a government. In layman’s terms, it is the rules and laws made by the government that are sought to be implemented through a chosen bureaucracy which is referred to as governance. The process of governing people or a state is called governance.
Difference between government and governance
To understand the differences between government and governance, one can take the example of a business which is handled by a person or group of persons (called partners or owners). The way they run the business with the help of employees applying their knowledge and experience is called management. In a similar manner, government is the elected body of representatives headed by a person. This body has the mandate to rule or govern people. And the manner in which they use the established system and principles to run the affairs of the country is called governance.
Governance can be good or bad depending upon the perception of the people and they may accordingly choose to retain or vote a particular government out of power.
In nutshell, governance is what a government does. It is the exercise of powers that are bestowed upon the government according to set rules and regulations using a system of bureaucracy that defines governance. Government is merely an instrument for the purpose of governance.
Avoided Cranium says
This is an overly simplistic distinction between government and governance. In fact it is extremely misleading.
There is the noun “government”, used in the context “the Government of Great Britain” which refers to the institution of politicians and civil servants who have the power to control the affairs of the country. But this is not the only meaning as implied above.
The word “government” can also refer to the act of governing, as in the ongoing admininstration and control of a state. This has a very similar meaning to “governance”.
Broadly, ‘to govern’ means to guide, direct or steer society. The government of a country refers to ‘the formal and institutional processes which operate at the national level to maintain order and facilitate collective action’ .
The use of the term government is characterised by the use of regulatory policy instruments, whereas governance is characterised by the appearance of new instruments which allow social actors to steer themselves (i.e. self-regulation), with central government playing a much less active role.
In the last 20 years or so, there has been a tendency to supplant “government” (in the sense of the act or process of governing), with the word “governance”.
My view is that this was partly spin and partly fashion as the term “government” was reminiscent of old colonial-style authoritarian mechanisms of directing society, whereas “governance” suggested a broader “steer” of society through framework-setting, communications (propaganda) and leadership-style. Clearly, politicians favour the latter as it appears to be more politically-correct in a post_modern society.
ann says
governance was a term used for a teacher or tudor who came into the home, hired of course to teach the children in the home their studies on whatever subjects they needed. That means whatever the persons of the household accepted as acceptable. which is what this Government mostly Rino’s and Democrats are doing to the school systems with the union teachers, and they are teaching the kids of every class about sex to transgenderism to supplying information on how to get an abortion to socialism and not telling them that socialism is communism. all of it is designed to Dumb down a society and take control of every aspect of the child’s life and thinking and WARP it to the Democratic New Religion Against the One and Only God Yahwea, Jesus the son of God who gave us are Right’s as human beings to own our own land and have children without the Government involved. He has his own laws the Ten Comandments which still stand till Christ comes back. The Democrats and Corporations are destorying this country thru their communistic tactics to destroy the minds of millions of children up to college. To Make minions out of them and so they will grow up according to their narratives. It is all against the MOST HiGH In HEAVEN because they HaTE HiM Who MADE man kind, and They Believe that SATAN Who is a Lier and the father of lies, is GOD himself. The Democrates Don’t want people to be Morally Healthy People on the planet in fact it is there plan to depopulate the earth.
to 500,000,000. They are all Mason’s who on one hand Create destuction for the common people and then find the answer and cure which they pre- planned it all from the begining. They will all go to hell for their Crimes against Humaninty.
broadwell says
government focuses on institutions and state while governance focuses on process and governance focuses less on the state and institutions but focuses more on the practices