Proper Administration is essential for running any organization, department, company in a 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 leader 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 in a long run.
The same principle applies for a state or country. A strong government combined with a clear vision and procedures to implement the vision are necessary for the growth of the nation.
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.
Government vs Governance
The difference between government and governance is government denotes a group of representatives who takes care of the administration and proper functioning of the country. Governance is all about the concept or the rules and regulation framed by the elected representatives to achieve the above-mentioned administration.
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In the government, the representatives are elected by the people of the country through the direct and indirect election in case of a democratic government. In the case of governance, the elected representatives discuss together to arrive at policies and framework to execute it.
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 which consists of rules, procedures, regulations which are executed by the government. |
| Function | Controls the state by the powers assigned to them. | The concept followed by the government to achieve the goals. |
| The term denotes | People selected by predefined mechanism followed in the respective state. | Policies, rules and regulation. |
| 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, all the powers are determined and framed by the ruler himself.
In a democratic government, the representatives are elected by the people of the nation through election (poll). The representatives in turn select a leader who will oversee all activities occurring in the country.
He governs the entire state and he 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 accountability is determined by the ruler. The government (democratic) acts as a medium through which powers, regulation, policies, rules of the state get employed.
Government is responsible for framing the various policies which are and must be aimed for the welfare of the state. In a democratic government, the representatives are selected for a fixed time 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 efficiency of the representatives in governing and proper functioning.
What is Governance?
Governance is the framework formed by the government for ensuring the proper functioning of the state. It can also be defined as the way which the government implement the policies for good results for the desired target.
The target could be the people, or some organization or the government itself. Since the action of the government reflects directly on the governance, governance stands as a testimony for the working of the government.
It gives us a clear picture of whether the government is working for the welfare of the state. Different government 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 kept in-charge for the health sector.
The elected representative discusses with his/her team members and comes up with a solution to the problem they are facing. They also create the necessary framework to achieve the goal and execute it.
The results of the framework would help people to identify if it were good governance or not for the concerned field.
Main Differences Between Government and Governance
- The government consists of elected representatives who governs or rules the state. Governance is the way which is followed by the elected representatives for proper functioning.
- Government denotes elected people whereas governance denotes the framework or procedures followed by the government.
- The government is responsible for all the activities occurring in the state whereas governance is the concept followed by the government for implementing the above-mentioned activities.
- The main purpose of the government is to ensure the welfare and demands of the organization/state are met. The main purpose of the governance is to assure that the best results are obtained for the welfare of the state by following the rules in the framework formulated by the government.
- The government takes care of the administration of the organization/state whereas governance indicates us the way the government is following for proper administration.
- https://academic.oup.com/jpart/article-abstract/8/2/223/965774?redirectedFrom=fulltext
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262756095_Governance_Versus_Government
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
