Governance in Small Societies: The Importance of Strong Democracy

• Author: Neville Duncan
• Pages: 164-174

164 GOVERNANCE: THEORETICAL ASPECTS

IntroductionIntroduction

IntroductionIntroduction

Introduction

It is with sadness, it is being asserted, that successive Caribbean governments

have tried with due deliberation to create an economic and social environment

that facilitates personal security and growth, production and trade, and yet have

not succeeded as well as anticipated. Indeed, their critics have felt that it is the

government itself and its regulations and layered procedures that contribute to

roadblocks and inefficiencies and even corruption. So government is said to

remain the biggest threat to the achievement of the good life for all.

On the other hand, it is plain to see that the corporate world, in rich and

poor countries alike, when allowed to self-regulate, have themselves become

mired in counterpart problems that leave shareholders, the state and private

citizens destitute. The crash of the financial sector in Jamaica, soaring real estate

prices throughout the Caribbean (putting property out of the reach of poorer

people), hostile company takeovers which plunder unwitting shareholders,

private corruption of public officials, and the like, create their own awesome

national disasters and cost ordinary citizens much anguish.

One clear finding is there are several things which governments have done

well over the years and should be strengthened. On the other hand, there are

several disastrous outcomes which mar government’s performance in which,

perhaps, the state should never have been a prime mover. Regrettably, some of

these failures are also obviously areas in which the state should be involved,

such as in education where our schools still seem to fail us (using several output

measurements). As Daniel Blatt noted, in speaking on the weaknesses of

democracy: “we must clearly recognize those weaknesses and make democracy

work in spite of those weaknesses”.1

There should be no doubt that the state has the responsibility to ensure that

the public good is achieved for all and to ensure the best provision of public

goods and services. Blatt also noted that:

governance In small socIetIes: the

Importance of strong Democracy

NEVILLE DUNCAN

CHAPTER NINE