Governance
About this Program
Our approach to good governance addresses local, contextually specific problems within an overall framework of international standards and goals.
On this page
Program Outcomes
Areas and Approaches
Urban Governance
Asia is home to some of the world’s largest and most populous megacities. As urbanization continues to be a major trend in the region, it is accompanied by increasingly complex challenges from increases in urban poverty to toxic air and water pollution and the associated consequences for health and livelihoods. Women are particularly vulnerable to safety and security risks in urban environments, particularly where living conditions are poor. Working closely with city governments and other stakeholders, the Foundation’s urban governance portfolio supports efforts to address inequalities and social exclusion while improving the livability of cities for all their residents. The Asia Foundation’s ongoing research on Inclusive Cities aims to provide policymakers with evidence and recommendations to overcoming those challenges.
Civic Spaces
The past few years have seen an increase and intensification in the laws and regulations that limit the activities of civil society and challenge the concept of an independent media throughout many parts of Asia. While traditional civil society organizations struggle to carry out their work in challenging conditions, other localized and social media-driven forms of collective action are growing, challenging conventional understandings of the role and form of civil society in local governance. It suggests a fundamental change in the relationship between states and societies in the region that is yet to fully play out. Working in close partnership with civil society throughout the region, the Foundation supports a vision of the civic spaces that are open, diverse, empowering, equitable, and the site of important contributions to governance in the region.
Data for Policy
Throughout Asia, governments and citizens are taking innovative approaches to collecting, digitizing, analyzing, and visualizing data to improve local decision-making processes. Civ-Tech organizations are using novel approaches to collecting and disseminating citizen perceptions and opinions, and enabling greater participation in policymaking, while Gov-Tech actors are improving the ways in which government bureaucracies function. They are important actors in Asia’s burgeoning data ecosystems. Collaborating with both, in numerous locations, the Foundation acts as an intermediary, convening and facilitating dialogue and building diverse partnerships between governments, civil society, citizens, and the private sector to improve the collection and use of data in governance.
Development Approaches
Through flagship programs such as the Coalitions for Change in the Philippines, the Foundation has been at the forefront of cutting-edge thinking on governance in development for some years. Active in Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) Community of Practice, Foundation staff across the region are recognized for their political acumen and ability to navigate local political economies to achieve policy and program goals. At the same time, we are making important contributions to the development of techniques for adaptive management. Our approach to strategy testing is drawn upon by global development practitioners as a practical and effective tool to support informed changes and the better application of monitoring and evaluation. The Foundation’s portfolio of thought leadership and the practical application of techniques of politically-smart adaptive programming continues to grow.
Subnational Governance
The Foundation’s decentralization or subnational governance programming is primarily pursued from the bottom up, often working at the intersection between subnational governments, citizens, and civil society groups. Working across fiscal, administrative, and political realms, our efforts seek better development outcomes through the delivery of more responsive and effective local government, whether that be through the pursuit of better budgeting practices or designing better service delivery mechanisms. While we do find ourselves engaging national-level government institutions through this work, much of it is in pursuit of improving multi-level governmental relations, coordination between different levels, and supporting central governments to better deliver on their decentralization commitments and agendas.
Conflict and Fragility
The Foundation supports local efforts to improve engagement between government and citizens, strengthens peacebuilding efforts and transitional institutions, and strengthens informal institutions that provide justice, stability, and services where the state has limited reach or legitimacy.
Program Highlights
The Latest Governance News
Recent Publications
Identifying Mis/Disinformation During Elections Toolkit
Securing Legal Recognition for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Indonesia
International Peace Support and Effective Peacebuilding in Myanmar
Upcoming Events
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October 28 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Local Solutions to Judicial Reform and Access to Justice
While many countries in Asia and the Pacific bear the hallmark features of societies committed to the rule of law, the reality is often very…
Latest Across Asia and the Pacific
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