Good governance in the public sector: Evidence from Palestine

There has been an increasing concern and interest in good governance and its relationship with service quality, especially in the public sector in the developing countries. This study aims at evaluating and assessing three of the main dimensions of good governance in the Palestinian public sector, and their effect on the services provided by this sector. The dimensions are transparency, participation, and accountability. A mixed-methods design was used in this study; a correlation was established between the independent variables, transparency, participation, and accountability, and the target variable, service quality, so as to find the relation between them. In addition, qualitative data was collected using qualitative methods, which helped interpret and gain comprehensive understanding of the current practices, procedures, and difficulties regarding these concepts in Palestine. A convenient sample of 386 citizens was chosen from different cities and demographics in Palestine to fill a questionnaire made of 93 Likert-scale questions, measuring their perception of the variables. In addition, interviews were held with the general managers of 5 of the largest municipalities in Palestine. The results showed a moderate to strong correlation between transparency, participation, and accountability from one side, and service quality from the other side. Moreover, while the results showed that accountability and transparency had a significant effect on service quality, participation did not have any significant effect. In addition, limitations on financial and human resources posed significant obstacles to effective governance. There were also significant differences among different demographic factors. The results highlighted the need for ongoing efforts to improve transparency, citizen participation, and accountability in Palestinian municipalities. Recommendations include promoting strategic planning, capacity development, and technology use, as well as addressing financial and human resource issues. These actions can enhance governance practices and service quality. Keywords: Governance, good Governance, transparency, public participation, accountability, municipality.