For the past few weeks, the usually yawn-inducing topic of governance has figured prominently in newspaper headlines. Of note, Mayor Naheed Nenshi was lauded for his decision to hold off on fundraising and concentrate on governing, and yet criticized for the steep entry fee to his first fundraiser; and The Economist carried a special feature singling out good governance as the secret weapon of Nordic success in the global economy.
Governance is nothing more than how we organize ourselves and how we make decisions. Good governance is about transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, meaningful participation and, perhaps most importantly, fairness in all of our institutions — voluntary organizations, the media, the private sector as well as the public sector.
What happens when governance goes bad? Promises are broken and secret deals are made. Citizens become cynical about our leaders and our institutions and they don’t bother to vote. People retreat from civic life and become more individualistic — if nobody is looking out for me then I won’t bother looking out for anyone else. We waste money on litigation and tie ourselves in legal knots rather than reap the abundant harvests borne of high doses of trust and reciprocity. The gun ownership nightmare in the U.S. is an extreme outcome of the erosion of trust.
In Calgary we have tended to look south for our inspiration, but what do the Nordic countries have to offer when it comes to good governance? A lot, as it turns out.
To read Professor Noel Keough's full article in FFWD Magazine, click here.