Governance is not a fashion, but a firmly-established lens through which to analyze the complexity of contemporary policy making, that is, the way in which a society and its political processes are organized and steered. Thus governance needs to be seen as a general concept within political analysis which represents a necessary, heuristic tool with which to describe some of the complexity of political processes. Governance is not only a fashionable term, but one destined to remain with us for some time yet. However, despite a great deal having been written on the subject in recent years, questions remain about many fundamental aspects of governance. This is especially the case in both defining and understanding governance modes and their dynamics, the subject of this book. Many “Varieties of Governance” exist, both cross-nationally and cross sectorally and understanding why this is the case and how it has come about is important for the future of governance studies. In this introductory chapter, after a brief reflection on the heuristic relevance of the concept, we focus on the following three specific aspects of governance: dynamics, strategy and capacity. The notion of ‘governance dynamics’ suggests that ‘modes of governance’ identified in earlier studies may not be stable, but rather dynamic, meaning that that there are no set governance arrangements within a given political system. These may change over the course of time, as governments adopt different architectural features and mix policy tools in different ways. A mode of governance , in this perspective is an equilibrium moment, rather than a permanent stable construct. ‘Governance strategy’ is a concept which reflects this ability of governments to alter governance arrangements and give them their dynamic character. It suggests that behind every mode or governance equilibrium lies a specific undertaking by different policy actors, as they seek the best governance arrangement to attain their purposes, and consequently try to see that it is established. This is particularly true of governments, since they continue to be in charge of systemic responsibility and are the most powerful authoritative actors in virtually all societies. “Governance capacity”, is a third critical concept, one which emphasizes that not every choice of governance mechanism is likely to be equally successful in terms of attaining government goals. Every governance arrangement must be effective, that is, capable of resolving political and policy problems, but simply designating or advocating a specific arrangement does not ensure its success.
Re-Thinking Governance In Public Policy. Dynamics, Strategy And Capacities
CAPANO, GILIBERTO;
2015
Abstract
Governance is not a fashion, but a firmly-established lens through which to analyze the complexity of contemporary policy making, that is, the way in which a society and its political processes are organized and steered. Thus governance needs to be seen as a general concept within political analysis which represents a necessary, heuristic tool with which to describe some of the complexity of political processes. Governance is not only a fashionable term, but one destined to remain with us for some time yet. However, despite a great deal having been written on the subject in recent years, questions remain about many fundamental aspects of governance. This is especially the case in both defining and understanding governance modes and their dynamics, the subject of this book. Many “Varieties of Governance” exist, both cross-nationally and cross sectorally and understanding why this is the case and how it has come about is important for the future of governance studies. In this introductory chapter, after a brief reflection on the heuristic relevance of the concept, we focus on the following three specific aspects of governance: dynamics, strategy and capacity. The notion of ‘governance dynamics’ suggests that ‘modes of governance’ identified in earlier studies may not be stable, but rather dynamic, meaning that that there are no set governance arrangements within a given political system. These may change over the course of time, as governments adopt different architectural features and mix policy tools in different ways. A mode of governance , in this perspective is an equilibrium moment, rather than a permanent stable construct. ‘Governance strategy’ is a concept which reflects this ability of governments to alter governance arrangements and give them their dynamic character. It suggests that behind every mode or governance equilibrium lies a specific undertaking by different policy actors, as they seek the best governance arrangement to attain their purposes, and consequently try to see that it is established. This is particularly true of governments, since they continue to be in charge of systemic responsibility and are the most powerful authoritative actors in virtually all societies. “Governance capacity”, is a third critical concept, one which emphasizes that not every choice of governance mechanism is likely to be equally successful in terms of attaining government goals. Every governance arrangement must be effective, that is, capable of resolving political and policy problems, but simply designating or advocating a specific arrangement does not ensure its success.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
