Governance is essential. The simple reason for this is that self-governance is a fallacy. This is not a recent revelation. Ancient scripture is full of stories about human fallibility – King David and Bathsheba, the Garden of Eden and the Ulysses Pact, just to name a few. As Oscar Wilde observed, “I can resist everything except temptation.”

Human fallibility was revealed to me in the most dramatic of ways. Early in my career I was publicly named as a “whistleblower” in a significant governance failure at one of Australia’s major banks. The experience was the catalyst for my deep interest in governance. It led me to authoring The Origins of Ethical Failure.

The more I learnt, the more I appreciated the vast complexity of governance. I realised there were shortcomings in my book and attempted to address these by writing a second edition. Alas, the second edition too will fall short. My understanding of governance, like everyone’s understanding of governance, is constrained and imperfect.

The main reason for this is that the perspectives on governance are legion. Across cultures (Indigenous, Western, Eastern) disciplines (Economics, Law, Theology) and time (Aristotle, Adam Smith and the American Founding Fathers, among many others), there has been a lot said and written about governance. Some perspectives might have more merit than others, but all have something to contribute.

This website is a meditation on governance. It captures the perspectives of some leading thinkers on what, in their mind, constitutes good governance. The aim is to go beyond slogans, social media memes and seemingly simple solutions. Rather, contributors are asked to provide deep, thought-provoking analysis. By doing so I am hoping that what they will reveal is not only their perspectives, but some deep insight.