ETHICS 01 (Brijendra Singh)

ATTRIBUTES OF GOVERNANCE
1. Governance is a neutral and dynamic term. This means that governance by itself is
neither good nor bad but can move in either direction, depending upon the actions of
each of the participants. Thus, it is critical for each participant, individual or institutional,
to conduct its affairs in a manner that contributes to a better quality of governance.
2. Governance is as much about the process as it is about the outcome. The better
the process, the better will be the outcome. Ideally, we seek to maintain a balance
between the two. But even if the objectives or ends are noble, the processes or means
through which they are to be achieved should not be compromised.

FRAMEWORK OF GOVERNANCE
To improve the quality of governance, it is important to establish benchmarks through which
we can assess its quality and identify any deviations from expected standards. This is
enabled by considering governance as a framework of five broad dimensions.
POLITICAL
Exercise of
franchise
Virtuous political
representatives
Constructive
Legislative
Functioning
Political
Decentralisation

LEGAL
Rule of Law
Access to
justice
Transparent
Judicial
Appointments
Judicial
Activism

ADMINISTRATIVE
Efficient, Effective
and Economical
Citizen interface &
participation
Quality of
Service delivery

CORPORATE
Corporate
Governance
Profit +
Welfare
Fair trade
practices

SOCIAL
Social Equity
& Unity
Civic Sense &
Participation
Independent
Media

Responsiveness

Corp. Social
Responsibility

Forums for
Public Opinion

Unfortunately, the assessment in the Indian context is still not satisfactory, with numerous
shortcomings on the part of each of the stakeholders.
To improve the quality of governance, we can adopt regulation or inculcate self-regulation.
Regulation is relatively easier but is effective only till supervision is maintained. If supervision
is withdrawn, people often revert to their old, poor behaviours.
This makes it vital to inculcate willingness within each participant to introspect upon their
own actions and self-regulate themselves. This can happen when people act out of a sense
of responsibility, rather than only when they are answerable to others. Therefore, it becomes
important to promote an ethical quality of governance, based on a strong value system.

ETHICAL GOVERNANCE
Ethical governance refers to a system where the conduct and the objectives of each of the
participants are closely aligned with the collectively determined values, ideals and
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aspirations of the nation. In the Indian context, such values are most significantly expressed
in the Preamble, the Fundamental Rights, the Directive Principles of State Policy and the
Fundamental Duties enshrined in the Constitution.
Since ethical governance is value-based, it faces two crucial problems:
i)
ii)

Adopting and inculcating values is not easy. Consistent adherence to a value will
require discipline, hardships and even sacrifice.
Values can be subjective in interpretation. This means that even if we agree upon
the same value, the manner in which we interpret it may differ. Each such
difference has the potential of causing friction and conflict.

To overcome these problems, it becomes important to promote probity in governance. The

foundation of probity is based on understanding the distinction between answerability and
responsibility and relying upon the latter rather than the former.
Answerability refers to the obligation created upon an individual or institution to provide
justification for its actions or decisions. Such an obligation is based upon external criteria,
such as orders, rules, commitments, charters etc. This makes it easy to identify deviations
and, if required, impose material or professional penalties. As such, answerability is capable
of being highly objective and easy to enforce. However, answerability is of limited value
without the presence of adequate authority, knowledge or time. Therefore, if governance is
limited only to answerability, some individuals may escape the consequences of their
actions.
Thus, an indispensable component of ethical governance is a sense of responsibility.
Responsibility also involves an obligation to justify ones actions but such an obligation is
now self-imposed. This makes it more dynamic and wider in scope than answerability, since
the individual can assess changing situations and select the most suitable course of action.
The problem with responsibility is that it is self-determined and hence subjective. This makes
it difficult to arrive at a standardised evaluation of what would constitute responsible conduct.
This also makes it difficult to impose penalties that would affect an individuals material
position. The only penalties that can be imposed are feelings of shame, guilt or regret. Even
these penalties cannot be imposed without self-realisation. Thus, enforcing responsibility
becomes extremely difficult and necessitates the establishment of accountability.

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