Civil Society and Governance in the Pacific

Good governance - a term largely popularized by the World Bank - is now upheld as the cornerstone of aid and development programming, both in Australia and internationally. Australia’s Pacific 2020 recognizes that governance fundamentally impacts upon development processes and that poor political governance inhibits economic growth and undermines the efficacy of the aid program, so much so that improving political governance is perhaps the most important long-term challenge facing the Pacific Island countries between now and 2020. However, while it is widely acknowledged that governance significantly impacts upon aid effectiveness, it is also acknowledged that aid is a very weak instrument for improving governance.

This briefing provides a summary of ‘Strengthening Civil Society to Build Demand for Better Governance in the Pacific: Literature Review and Analysis of Good Practice and Lessons Learned’ - a research paper prepared by Dr Nicole Haley for AusAID. This work is based on a review of international literature and a series of case studies focused on ACFID member agencies involved in seeking to strengthen civil society in the Pacific. International experience and that of Australian NGOs currently working in the Pacific reveals that governance is contextual and culturally specific, and that effective and sustainable development is most likely to occur when communities drive the program, when NGOs respond to emerging needs, and when donors allow this to happen. Experience also suggests that demand for good governance is a by-produce of a robust and vibrant civil society, and as such derives from broader civil society capacity strengthening and confidence building.