International Food Policy Research Institute
sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty
Today’s good governance reforms, supported by a variety of international donors, place an ambitious change agenda on developing country governments, and the institutional, legal, regulatory and procedural changes undertaken can produce a shell of improved governance that has little bearing on how public decisions are actually made and implemented. Meanwhile, pre-existing and deeply embedded understandings and practices survive and continue to shape the way people are ruled. This tension between intended new performance-enhancing institutions and unwanted old practices can be termed the problem of “institutional dualism.” This presentation explores whether Voltaire’s adage (with slight modification) applies to the current good governance agenda, and suggests that a focus on outcomes offers some promise in distinguishing between good and good enough governance.