At a glance
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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 organisations 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 programmes 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.
March 9, 2011 3:18PM
Mercy Corps' Guide to Good Governance Programming (March 2011)
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- A framework for good governance programming that reflects Mercy Corps’ Vision for Change and expertise.
- Core principles with many practical examples from our programmes.
- Field-proven tools and resources for every phase of the project cycle.
- Indicator menus, a capacity statement and DM&E advice.
- Impact cases written by your colleagues in Latin America, Sudan, Somalia, Kosovo, India, Iraq and Lebanon.
- How governance intersects programme areas such as food security, climate change, youth, gender, economic development, health, disaster risk reduction, and peacebuilding.
July 9, 2010 9:11AM
Mercy Corps Approach to Good Governance
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Good governance emphasizes the partnership between citizens and government for the common good; how mechanisms, processes and institutions facilitate citizens and groups to articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their responsibilities, and mediate their differences. For Mercy Corps, good governance is both a programming goal and condition for all other development initiatives to be sustainable.
July 8, 2010 9:32AM
A Framework for Good Governance
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Want to know how successful a program is at strengthening good governance? Mercy Corps' Governance Framework helps program teams determine just that by focusing on three key concepts: citizen participation and voice, public service delivery and accountable decision-making.
Sudan July 8, 2010 10:47PM
Southern Sudan: Rights and Responsibilities for Good Governance
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Civil war and major social termoil have seriously disrupted southern Sudan's governance structures over the past 30 years. But levels of civic engagement have improved since the 2004 peace agreement and Mercy Corps is building on this momentum.
Somalia July 7, 2010 9:57AM
Somalia: Engaging Grassroots Traditional Governance Initiatives
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Somalia has not had a strong central government since the collapse of the military regime in 1991. This has led to two decades of lawlessness. Though Mercy Corps doesn't run standalone governance programs in Somalia, we've incorporated governance into development programs.
July 7, 2010 9:48AM
Kosovo: Strengthening Capacity at the Municipal Level
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Mercy Corps' experience in Kosovo shows how communities fragmented by ethinc tensions can acheive participatory governance. By targeting municipal-level governance systems, we're helping citizens connect with each other and with their leaders.
India July 7, 2010 9:43AM
India: Good Practices in Public-Private Partnerships
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Tea is the primary cash crop in Darjeeling. But small farmers often couldn't sell their tea legally because of restrictive government policies. Recent efforts by Mercy Corps and our partners in India have helped show government regulators the benefits of making space for smallholder farmers.
Iraq July 7, 2010 9:08AM
Global Citizen Corps: Youth Civic Participation for a Better World
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Mercy Corps' Global Citizen Corps program inspires and supports an international movement of young people, equipping them with the skills they need to solve urgent local and global issues.
Colombia July 7, 2010 9:02AM
Colombia and Guatemala: A South-South Model in Latin America Tackles Land and Governance
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Challenges to good governance in Latin America are historically linked to inequitable land distribution, cumbersome land-tenure processes and conflicting land-use priorities. Violence often prevails over dialogue — but Mercy Corps' South-South Initiative aims to change that.
Afghanistan April 21, 2010 11:25AM
Community-Led Programming and Its Contribution to Stability and Development in Afghanistan
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Learning for Effective Aid Policy and Practice (LEAPP) is a programme of research conducted by Mercy Corps with generous support from the Hewlett Foundation. It looks into how community-led aid models can most effectively be used to help societies transition from conflict to recovery and stability and then into development, as seen through the eyes of the community members themselves.
This report sets out the findings of a community study in Afghanistan.
