Governability Assessment for Fisheries and Coastal Systems:A Reality Check

摘要

In this article we argue that in order to under-stand why some governance systems deliver while othersdo not, we need to assess contributions and limitations ofgovernability. Here, governability refers to a measure ofhow governable a particular fisheries and coastal system is.Such a system is always comprised of two parts: a system-to-be-governed and a governing system. Governability alsodepends on the interactions between these two systems. Weprovide key variables that must be assessed in order todetermine governability related to these systems and theirinteractions. A governability assessment framework isproposed here to suggest that governance performance canonly be judged from what is in the potential of thegoverning system, given the limitations of the governabiltiyof the system-to-be governed, the governing system itself,and their interactions. Such an assessment helps identifywhat exactly governing systems can and should do in orderto enhance their performance.