Abstract

This paper revisits the main arguments on the role of ‘good governance’ in facilitating economic development. It observes that there are some examples in which neoliberal ‘good governance’ played a role in facilitating economic development but there are many other examples in which countries attained some level of economic development with governance institutions that were bereft of many ‘good governance’ elements. Thus, it concludes that ‘good governance’ is not an essential pre-requisite for development but it might play some role in facilitating development. The paper argues against the dominant ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to good governance and support ‘good enough governance’, that encourage reforms to be questioned, prioritised, and made relevant to the conditions of individual countries.