Governance and the Depoliticisation of Development

This book is about the way ‘governance’ has become the new orthodoxy of development, following earlier failed attempts at building working market economies through policy reform in developing countries.

Considering how its proponents define ‘good governance’, the contributors to this volume assess why programmes of governance building in developing countries have proven to be no less problematic than the previous agendas of market reform.

Governance and the Depoliticisation of Development challenges ideas that deeper political and social problems of development may be addressed by institutional or governance fixes. It examines the principles and prescriptions of ‘good’ governance as part of larger conflicts over power and its distribution.

The volume provides:



a series of case studies from Latin America, Middle East and Asia


a link to current theorising on neoliberalism and the post-Washington Consensus


a focus on governance at the global and national levels from a comparative perspective


The collection will be essential reading for researchers and scholars of international political economy, governance studies and political science.

Wil Hout is Associate Professor in World Development at The Institute for Social Studies (ISS), The Netherlands.

Richard Robison is Emeritus Professor, Asia Research Centre and School of Politics and International Studies, Murdoch University, Australia.

Preface. Notes on contributors. 1. Development and the Politics of Governance: Framework for Analysis Part 1: From ‘Development as Markets’ to ‘Development as Governance’ 2. Strange Bedfellows: Political Alliances in the Making of Neo-liberal Governance 3. Development and Governance: An Uneasy Relationship Part 2: Behind the Scenes at the Global Level: Global Public Goods or the Globalisation of Interests 4. Global Governance, Global Public Goods and the WTO: Contradictions between Trade Liberalisation and Development 5. Global Public Policy, Transnational Policy Communities and the Shaping of Governance 6. Governance, Politics and the European Mediterranean Partnership: Problems of Implementation or Policy Design? Part 3: Transplanting and Defining the Governance Model at the Ground Level 7. Real Governance: Change and Continuity in India’s Authority and Power Structures Jos Mooij 8. The Politics of Governance of Indonesia’s Forest Industries: Progress and Regress in a Neo-liberal Age Part 4: Governance and the Perils of Participation 9. The Politics of Entrapment: Parliaments, Governance and Poverty Reduction Strategies Pascale Hatcher 10. Attempting Illiberalism: The World Bank and the Embedding of Neo-liberal Governance in the Philippines 11. Civil Society Participation in Donor-driven Governance Programmes: Experiences from Central America Part 5: Governance in Post-Crisis Situations 12. Rebuilding Governance in Failed States: The Case of Timor Leste 13. The Politics of Public Management Reforms in Post-war Lebanon Conclusion 14. Where to Now: The End of ‘Good Governance’ as a Policy Agenda?