Governance outreach to a whole region
MORE than a few governance enterprises are big enough to have a wide range of coverage for their operations. Indeed, the area of their operations may cover more than one LGU; it can extend to a whole region, or indeed several regions. In their case, the sense of “civic duty” and “social responsibility” would need to be substantiated accordingly, i.e. covering at least a whole region (or at least a few regions). How may this be done? • By looking at the supply or value chain for the region. A close look at the enterprise’s own value chain would immediately reveal what are the gaps and kinks in such a value chain. Where are the bottlenecks? Where are the choke points? In what ways may these be addressed? The answers are familiar: they cannot be addressed by the enterprise alone, but by concerted efforts involving many other players.
• By pinpointing the other socially responsible players in the region. The enterprise has to look as objectively as possible at the different “live” forces at play within the region. A few can be found, particularly those with a “common good” agenda pitched to the long-term development of the region. These few need not be in the usual sector where everyone looks for socially responsible players; but they can be found in the usual broad sectors: In government (e.g. the regional offices); a number of LGUs (some local chief executives can be genuinely developmentoriented); a few enterprises from business; and overwhelmingly, enterprises from civil society. One sector which unfailingly supplies good development agents with a commitment to area or regional development is academe, especially at the tertiary level (but not limited to that level).
• By identifying the most important challenges the region faces. Every region is different, and each one has a particular set of “dynamics” that may be forcing it forward (or problems keeping it down or even pushing it back). It is absolutely important to be very clear-eyed about these “dynamics.” In what ways may the progressive forces be supported, and provided sustained encouragement as well as governance guidance? Where there are huge roadblocks, in what ways can alternative paths be opened to avoid them and eventually undermine them?
All of the above would require a significant amount of investment in terms of deep thinking and thorough analysis. They demand openness, and in particular the gift of discernment.
After such time of “contemplation in a desert place,” the call to action needs to be heeded. This means identifying the positive potential partners the governance enterprise may choose to work with closely. On the choice of such partners, much of the success of a governance outreach to the entire region hangs.
One useful reminder for governance enterprises to keep in mind always: Governance and transformation are never about politics alone; nor are they about a single discipline (e.g., economics or business alone). By their very nature, they have to be balanced and comprehensive: There must be a bit of politics, a bit of economics, a bit of economics thrown into the entire transformation agenda. But every care must be taken that the agenda is never dominated by one consideration alone, whether it is politics, or economics, or business, etc. Transformation of an entire region is too important o be left to the capricious fortunes that politics, or economics, or business may inflict upon a region.
All too often in the past, regions have been the woeful victim of such capriciousness. It is high time that governance and transformation be made to bring about a totally different, overwhelmingly positive, outcome.