BRIAN SMITH is Professor Emeritus in Political Science at the University of Dundee, UK, and a Visiting Professor in Politics at the University of Exeter, UK. He is author of Understanding Third World Politics (also Palgrave Macmillan).

• Governance AgendasPolitical AccountabilityHuman RightsThe Rule of LawDecentralizationPolitical PluralismParticipationEradicating CorruptionTransparent and Accountable Public AdministrationEfficient Public ManagementEconomic Reform and Poverty AlleviationConclusion.

'[A] useful broad introduction to many oif the central issues in govenance' - Jo Rowlands, Development in Practice