System of governance As this is an important term used extensively throughout the text, its definition needs greater elaboration than that of the more general terms of politics present here. The term ‘system of governance’ holds a different meaning to that of ‘government’ or ‘system of government’. It is a more inclusive term than that of the others associated with the word government. In general, the word government is usually associated with one particular political party, the ruling party, usually referring to the majority party within a multi-party ‘system of governance’. Thus the term ‘system of governance’ often refers to the complete political model and not just that of ‘the government’ or any subsection of the system. Therefore, a parliament, council, board, general assembly, committee, or other such organisation may present itself as a ‘system of governance’ in its own right, or occasionally may only form part of a larger ‘system of governance’. The following examples clarify the specific use of the term, Governments are merely focal points in the whole system of governance, Modern political democracy is a system of governance in which rulers are held accountable for their actions in the public realm by citizens, acting indirectly through the competition and co-operation of their elected representatives, Schmitter and Karl,1991, 76
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