From Here to Denmark The Importance of Institutions for Good Governance

From Here to Denmark: The Importance of Institutions for Good Governance represents the journey of developing nations from a state of poor governance - that manifests itself in various forms, such as lack of respect for rule of law, delay (and even denial) of justice, a capricious and corrupt ruling elite, lives deprived of basic human dignities and marked with fear and insecurity - to a state of good governance, reflected in predictability, accountability, and fairness in governance matters, and the strong presence of the rule of law. Drawing on experiences of some countries which have made the transition to 'Denmark' over time, the book identifies basic enablers which help a society to make the journey from here to Denmark. These are: building sufficient human capital (education and health) and enabling the effective participation by citizens in having a meaningful say in how they are governed.

Rajat Mohan Nag

Rajat M. Nag is concurrently a Distinguished Fellow at the Emerging Markets Forum, Washington, D.C., and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the National Council of Applied Economic Research, Delhi. Mr. Nag has been the Managing Director General of the Asian Development Bank during 2006-2013. He holds degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, the University of Saskatchewan, and the London School of Economics.




Harinder S. Kohli is the Founding Director and Chief Executive of Emerging Markets Forum, a not-for-profit global think tank as well as the Founding Director, President, CEO, and the largest shareholder of Centennial Group International, both based in Washington, D.C. He has written extensively on the emergence of Asia, Latin America, Africa, and other emerging market economies, and published sixteen books. Some of these books are: The World in 2050: Striving for a Just, Prosperous, and Harmonious Global Community; China's Belt and Road Initiative: Potential Transformation of Central Asia and the South Caucasus; and Africa 2050: A New Strategy.

1. Introduction
PART I: THE SETTING: HERE AND DENMARK
2. The World We Live In
3. Good Governance is Good Development
4. Corruption Hurts: No, It Kills
5. Institutions Matter
PART II: MIND AND ACTIONS
6. I Think...Therefore, I Am
7. We Think... Therefore, We Are
8. The World of Beliefs, Norms, and Mental Models Around Us
9. Better Understanding, Better Interventions
PART III: LESSONS FROM THE PAST
10. How Denmark Got to Denmark and Great Britain's Journey
11. Some Asian Journeys
12. Some Other Journeys
PART IV: THREE FELLOW TRAVELLERS
13. The STATE, the Markets, and the Community
14. The State, the MARKETS, and the Community
15. The State, the Markets, and the COMMUNITY
16. Some Concluding Thoughts and the Way Forward