Government vs Governance: Difference and Comparison

Proper Administration is essential for running any organization, department, or company in the long run. Else the organization would face hurdles which would hamper its growth.

Proper Administration doesn’t mean the correct manner of executing things alone. It also stresses the importance of the person who is leading the organization.

Proper leadership and implementation of the activities in a structured manner are the two sides of the same coin. Both are needed for a system to sustain itself in the long run.

The same principle applies to a state or country. A strong government combined with a clear vision and procedures to implement the vision are necessary for the nation’s growth.

Both go hand in hand. Failure of either of the one will lead to the total collapse of the system.

So, it becomes vital to have a proper government and correct governance. Only then the organization/state flourish.

Key Takeaways

1. The government refers to the formal system of political authority that exercises control and authority over a country. At the same time, governance is the process of decision-making and implementation of policies by government and non-governmental actors.
2. While the government is a legal entity that maintains order and provides essential services to citizens, governance is a broader concept involving different actors’ participation in the decision-making process, including citizens, civil society organizations, and private sector entities.
3. The main difference between government and governance is that government is a specific entity responsible for exercising authority. In contrast, governance is a collaborative and inclusive process that involves multiple actors and stakeholders in the decision-making and implementation of policies.

Government vs Governance

The government refers to the formal institutions and bodies responsible for making and enforcing decisions that affect society. Governance refers to the broader concept of how society is organized, how decisions are made, implemented, and monitored, and is more decentralized.

In the government, the representatives are elected by the country’s people through direct and indirect elections in the case of a democratic government. In the case of governance, the elected representatives discuss together to arrive at policies and a framework to execute them.

Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	Government	Governance
Definition	A group of representatives or leaders who take charge of all activities happening in the state.	A framework consists of rules, procedures, and regulations the government executes.
Function	Controls the state by the powers assigned to them.	The concept is followed by the government to achieve its goals.
The term denotes	People are selected by a predefined mechanism followed in the respective state.	Policies, rules and regulations.
Dependency between the two	It is an Independent factor.	Depends on the government.
Example	Democratic Government, Autocratic Government etc.	National Health Policy, Universal Educational program etc.

What is Government?

Government is a body consisting of a group of leaders or representatives who come together in a common platform for taking charge of all activities happening in the state. They are bestowed with some powers which depend on the mode of the government.

For example, the constitution empowers the government with certain powers for carrying out the necessary tasks. In an autocratic government, the ruler determines and frames all the powers.

In a democratic government, the representatives are elected by the nation’s people through an election (poll). The representatives select a leader overseeing all activities occurring in the country.

He governs the entire state and becomes accountable for any good or bad activity occurring in the state. But in a monarchy, the leader and the ruler will be either the children or the descendants of the previous ruler.

The ruler determines accountability. The government (democratic) acts as a medium through which powers, regulations, policies, and state rules get employed.

The government is responsible for framing the various policies that must be aimed at the state’s welfare. In a democratic government, the representatives are selected for a fixed period (say five or four years), which varies from state to state.

People may or may not elect the representatives for the next period, which depends on the representatives’ efficiency in governing and proper functioning.

What is Governance?

Governance is the framework the government forms for ensuring the proper functioning of the state. It can also be defined as how the government implement the policies for good results for the desired target.

The target could be the people, some organization or the government itself. Since the government’s action reflects directly on the governance, governance stands as a testimony to the working of the government.

It gives us a clear picture of whether the government works for the state’s welfare. Different governments follow different types of governance.

In a democratic government, the elected representatives are given responsibilities for a particular department depending on their skills. The elected representatives are responsible for forming the framework for proper governance.

The framework includes vision, mission, goals, targets and ways to be achieved, rules and regulations, policies, out-of-the-box etc. Consider this example where a representative has been in charge of the health sector.

The elected representative discusses with his/her team members and comes up with a solution to their problem. They also create the necessary framework to achieve the goal and execute it.

The framework results would help people identify if it was good governance or not for the concerned field.

Main Differences Between Government and Governance

1. The government consists of elected representatives who govern or rules the state. Governance is the way which is followed by the elected representatives for proper functioning.
2. Government denotes elected people, whereas governance denotes the government’s framework or procedures.
3. The government is responsible for all the activities occurring in the state, whereas governance is the concept followed by the government for implementing the abovementioned activities.
4. The main purpose of the government is to ensure the welfare and demands of the organization/state are met. The main purpose of governance is to ensure that the best results are obtained for the state’s welfare by following the rules in the framework formulated by the government.
5. The government takes care of the administration of the organization/state, whereas governance indicates how the government is following proper administration.

References

1. https://academic.oup.com/jpart/article-abstract/8/2/223/965774?redirectedFrom=fulltext
2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262756095_Governance_Versus_Government