Good governance for the public's health

Abstract

Good Governance is en vogue. It has become a leading concept in public administration. Here Good Governance stands for the aim of bringing together administrative bodies and all relevant stakeholders (citizens, NGOs, industry, etc.) to implement reforms improving the living conditions for all people. In ‘New Public Management’, Good Governance means working together coherently without relying on governments—rather following a principle of subsidiarity. The concept of Good Governance is increasingly being discussed in the context of Public Health. In the following it shall be explained what exactly is meant by this buzzword, how Good Governance can be justified and how it can be translated into Public Health practice for the betterment of population health: Governance means decision-making and the implementation of decisions. These decisions can be made within all different kinds of social institutions and arrangements and relate to communities, corporations, national and international levels. Good Governance is a concept articulated and conceptualized in the context of development and development … Correspondence: Dr. Helmut Brand MSc, MFPH, DLSHTM, Institute of Public Health NRW, Westerfeldstrase 35/37, D-33611 Bielefeld, Germany, tel: +49 521 8007 223, fax: +49 521 8007 202, e-mail: Helmut.Brand{at}loegd.nrw.de