The Profile of Good Governance in Futures Studies: From Imaging to Shaping of the Future

Over the last three decades, a quiet revolution has taken place in the way societies are to be ruled. In this line of change, the societies are in transition to good governance (GG). The exact profile of this new administration paradigm is still fuzzy, but with the passage of time, its essential characteristics become more clearly delineated. Therefore, the futuring of GG to map and clarify its comprehensive image in line with recovering the human agency and responsibility in shaping the desirable future was put on the agenda of the present study.

Having applied meta-synthesis as a modern approach in qualitative research, the present study compiles the fundamental principles, pillars, and indicators of GG as well as maps and represents GG comprehensive image.

The investigation of GG from the viewpoint of futures studies indicates that the essentials of GG converge around five principles of accountability, transparency, participation, rule of law, and efficiency as well as five pillars of civil society, government, the legislature, executive, and judiciary. Furthermore, the GG indicators, resulting from operation of principles in the context of pillars, are realized through the responsiveness towards present as well as future generations, access to information, merit-based system for elections and appointments, just legal system, clarity of decision-making procedures and standards, etc.

The futuristic reading of GG as a managerial-political theory and paradigmatic pattern donates its specific capacity in steering of modern societies as well as maintaining and improving the freedom, welfare and well-being of present and future generations.