Good governance is central to the effective delivery of social security and is a priority of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), which has the constitutional mandate to promote and develop social security worldwide through technical and administrative improvement.

The ISSA Guidelines on Good Governance seeks to provide a practical and comprehensive reference on good governance. The guidelines are underpinned by a governance framework that spans the range of internal governance issues that are involved in the administration of social security programmes. The guidelines recognize accountability, transparency, predictability and participation as principles of good governance, and introduce dynamism as an additional important characteristic.