From ideal state to good governance : Evolution of the concept

Good governance refers to the humane political transformations of societies that lead to an increase in prosperity and stability within judicious, effective, decent, and lawful boundaries whereas the ideal state is where good governance exists. This study combines the field of political science and of political philosophy in order to understand how good governance has been intellectually hypothesized as an ideal state. It is argued, here, that the intersection of seminal discussions of 'the ideal' and the recent approaches to 'governance' deserve a profound analysis. Several questions could be raised to address the matter thoroughly: Does the concept of good governance reflect an ideal state? If so, what are the main characteristics of good governance that stem from the features of the ideal states of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Immanuel Kant? To be able to provide a relevant discussion of good governance in the nexus between the practices of modern times and the classical philosophical texts, the present study examines four particular components of good governance - judiciousness, effectiveness, non-existence of corruption, and non-existence of abuse of law - in the works of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Immanuel Kant. In doing so, the present study can retrace the concept of good governance by providing a comprehensive analysis. Keywords: Good Governance, Ideal State, Judiciousness, Effectiveness, Corruption, Abuse of Law.