Opinion Where in the world is good governance?

Where are we to find decent governance in today’s crisis-prone world? It’s hard to look to Washington. Interest groups of every stripe have the cash and the access to co-opt broad segments of both parties. This allows them to block efforts at reform that might erode their wealth and influence. Not even a financial meltdown of historic proportions could loosen the lobbyists’ grip. Across the Atlantic,the problem within the eurozone is the structure of the eurozone itself. The debt crisis has now empowered both bureaucrats in Brussels and governments led by unelected technocrats in Athens and Rome. That may help avert near-term disaster,but it won’t produce a credible long-term solution.

Are authoritarian states better equipped than democracies to govern effectively in times of crisis? On the one hand,the independence of democracies’ institutions — courts,media,political parties,banks — bolster public confidence in government. On the other,checks and balances limit the power of individual elected officials,making it more difficult to get things done when change is needed most.

Autocracies have weaknesses of their own. The nine members of China’s Politburo Standing Committee contend with competing pressures — from industry groups to the military to the largest state-owned companies. The Saudi monarch and his inner circle cope with demands from clerical leaders and competing branches within the royal family. Structural change comes slowly in both countries,not simply because their leaders are risk-averse,but because so many demands must be satisfied.

The Russian model of autocracy has built-in problems of its own. Here,authority is vested in an individual leader,and spoils can be awarded only by the emperor or trusted members of his entourage. With this model,the challenge isn’t in coming up with new policies,it’s in implementing them. Consolidation of control requires that economic and security bureaucracies are prevented from becoming competing centres of power. In addition,this system works only as long as the public accepts the legitimacy of the man at the top. After touring the world,you end up where we started. The country most likely to produce good governance over the next several years is,believe it or not,still the United States. In fact,the first three years of the Obama administration has seen passage of more legislation than at any time since the mid-1960s. That’s in part because a sense of economic crisis forced early cooperation. It’s also because the two parties aren’t really that far apart on foreign policy,national security and trade issues.

Though hotly contested US elections will bring Washington to a near standstill in 2012,the prospects for 2013 are more promising. Republicans will likely strengthen their leverage within both houses of Congress. If a Republican wins the White House,the party will face enormous pressure to keep its promises on reform of government spending. If Obama wins,a legacy-minded president will have ample incentive to strike a historic bargain on debt reduction for which both parties can claim credit. Take pride,Americans. You have the worst system of governance on earth — except for all the others.

The writer is head of the Eurasia Group