Step 1: Describe the system of governance and powers

The first important step is to briefly explain the system of governance that operates in the country before mapping the relevant policy fields that affect private enterprises. This is important because there will be readers of your work – within the country and outside – that don’t fully understand these arrangements. This should also include a description of the powers and responsibilities of government structures at the national, provincial, district, and local levels.

See Box 2 for an illustration of the possible range of systems of governance and powers.

Box 2: Range of systems of governance and powers
Level of government	Kinds of instruments	Instruments used (Example)	Authority (Example)
Central	National polity	Constitution	Parliament, Plebiscite, Referendum
	National policies	Presidential Decree	President
		Executive Order	President
		Parliamentary Decree	National Parliament
		White Paper	National Parliament
		National Policy	National Cabinet
	Legislation	National Law	National Parliament
		Code	National Parliament or Cabinet
	Regulation	Regulations and procedures	National Parliament
		Ordinance	Line-ministries
		Circular	Line-ministries
		Administrative Order	Line-ministries
Provincial	Provincial Policies	Provincial Strategies	Provincial Development Council
		Provincial Strategies	Provincial Council
	Legislation	Provincial Laws	Provincial Legislature
	Regulation	Provincial Regulations and Ordinances	Provincial Bureaucracy
Local	Local Policies	Local Government Plans	Local Authority Council
		Local Development Strategy	Local Government Council
	Legislation	Bylaws	Local Government Council
	Regulations	Ordinance	Local Government Council
	Administration	Procedures and inspections	Local Government Bureaucracy