Leelo Umbsaar

Good Governance in Government Agencies: a Case Study of the Republic of China and Estonia Leelo Umbsaar

Public management and quality in the public sector have a number of unique conditions in comparison with the private sector. They presume basic preconditions, common to socio-political and administrative culture: legitimacy, the rule of law and ethical behaviour based on common values and principles such as openness, accountability, participation, diversity, equity, social justice, solidarity, collaboration and partnerships. Public policy is implemented in and by government agencies; this is the very place where the concept of good governance gets promoted first. The case study describes how qualitative performance evaluation is linked to dissemination of good governance, comparing more generally Asia with Europe in its pursuit of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Government agencies in the Republic of China and Estonia differ from historic viewpoint but share the path of democratization, offering original research for comparative analysis. The study defines and contextualizes good governance by using a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and evaluates its application in administrative agencies in respective small states.