The concepts of governance and democracy hold very different meanings for distinct political trends. Thus, on the one hand democracy is cited as the only way for citizens to have meaningful input into their government, while on the other it is seen as empty of most substantial content consisting mainly of relatively meaningless formal components such as multi-party elections, a vehicle for enabling globalisation. Similarly, there are multiple ways of conceptualising governance. Recently, `good governance' has become a development buzzword that now occupies a central place in development thinking, policy-making and practice. But what does good governance mean and why has it become so important for development? How are democracy and governance related to the state and how are they affected by global governance? What does it mean to be a citizen, whether of a state or globally and how does gender, in the form of masculinisms, affect the way all these are conceptualised? These are some of the key issues and questions that this module will try to address. Students who have taken this course should understand the historical roots of democracy and the political aims behind the governance agenda. They will also have gained theoretical perspectives, analytical tools, and basic information that can help them evaluate wider debates about political development, democracy, and governance.