Dr Anjani Ganase wonders about the quality of information that is used to drive campaign promises, or voting for that matter.

Good governance begins with a good understanding of the country’s needs, what is required for its social, economic and environmental well-being.

While there is no single system for governing the process by which governments seek to achieve social well-being, surely inclusion, transparency, accountability are necessary principles; in addition to information.

Governments must make decisions on the knowledge they possess while recognising that gaps can be filled in through collaborations with regional/ international agencies, NGOs, academia and civil society including the private sector.

The benefits of any decisions must consider the needs of all its citizens, communities present and future. Most important is the role of the citizen in holding governments accountable to their governance.

For a scientist, the currency for good decision-making is knowledge defined by the information and data gathered for the specific purpose; and then it’s recommended to have the experts in the room to advise according to the knowledge.

Too often in my line of work, I am met with decisions based on singular experiences, hearsay and short-term solutions that do not address the urgent issues in the marine environment; at best, band-aid solutions. Central to this process must be how governments gather the right knowledge to strategise.

Considering the three main themes for our well-being, we must have knowledge for social development – including health, education, crime, social welfare; information for the environment – pollution, resource depletion, climate change and biodiversity; and the aspect that seems to dominate, the economy – inflation, unemployment, trade, fiscal and investment data.

These pillars can be an easy guide for understanding what your government needs to be doing for you.

[caption id="attachment_1151227" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Temple by the Sea. - Photo by Anjani Ganase[/caption]

Listen to the conversations of the election and take note of the information being used to drive the campaign promises. Think about issues holistically as social development, economy and environment are all interconnected. How will economic plans impact our environment and our social well-being?

Our social well-being

The trajectory of the social well-being of a country is typically monitored by national surveys such as the National Census. In Trinidad and Tobago, the census is mandated for every ten years to establish demographic shifts, such as population growth, gender ratio, age, race and culture; economic status, such as employment, household income, education, jobs and industry.

The census provides a standardised snapshot of the state of the country and its direction when compared to the previous decade. The census allows the government to understand the local workforce, and identify gaps and needs of its citizens.

It allows strategic development of policies and programmes, w