Good governance and developing countries

In 2006, the Developing Countries Prize which is awarded on a biannual basis by the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, and the KfW Development Bank in Frankfurt am Main, honored outstanding research in the field of good governance. The ceremony was followed by an international and interdisciplinary symposium. Good governance today is considered as essential for alleviating poverty and encouraging development. While there is agreement about this in principle, the various concepts of good governance and their implementation give rise to numerous controversies in academia as well as in politics. This volume includes the papers presented at the symposium and seeks to stimulate the debate related to the application of pertinent principles in practice.