The state, civil society and private sector form autonomous and interdependent spheres of social organization and may have different interests.

The concept of governance includes the manner in which these spheres interact. It refers to:

• how power is exercised in the management of a country's economic and social resources for development (World Bank cited in Meltzer, 2000);
• how political, economic and administrative authority is exercised;
• how citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their rights and obligations and mediate their differences (UNDP cited in Meltzer, 2000).