governance

Etymology

From Middle English governaunce, from Old French gouvernance, governance.

noun

1. The process, or the power, of governing; government or administration.
   But was it responsible governance to pass the Longitude Act without other efforts to protect British seamen? Or might it have been subterfuge—a disingenuous attempt to shift attention away from the realities of their life at sea. 2012-03, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87
2. The specific system by which a political system is ruled.
3. The group of people who make up an administrative body.
4. The state of being governed.
5. (management) Accountability for consistent, cohesive policies, processes and decision rights.