CHAPTER 9

GOVERNANCE & GOVERNMENT Networking with external stakeholders stakeholders

SU DINH THANH

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

SORTING IT ALL OUT: KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS

it meant

(cid:132) Governance is not a new term. Indeed, the term “governance” was first used in France in the fourteenth century where ‘seat of government’ (Pierre and Peters, 2000, p. 1).

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(cid:132) The term became much more popular when the World Bank ‘re-invented’ governance in a World Bank Report of 1989. (cid:132) The use of the term governance by the World Bank signalled a new approach to development which was based on the belief that economic prosperity is not possible without a minimum level of rule of law and d ibl democracy.

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KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS

(cid:132) Today, governance has become a highly topical issue for all international organizations: the United Nations, OECD and the EU produce policy-relevant advice and research related to various governance issues.

(cid:132) Many governments have put governance – either explicitly or implicitly – on their public sector reform agenda. p , (cid:132) For example,

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g the UK government has given a high profile to its ‘public standards’ committee to deal with issues of ‘sleaze’ in public life

KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS

KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS

(cid:132) Almost all definitions contain some common elements which show that governance (Bovaird and Löffler, 2002): (cid:132) collective problems can no longer be solved only by public authorities but require the cooperation of other players (e.g.citizens, business, voluntary sector, media) (cid:132) deals with formal rules (constitutions, laws, regulations) and informal rules (codes of ethics, customs, traditions) but assumes that negotiation between stakeholders seeking to use their power can alter the importance of these rules; th

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KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS

(cid:132) no longer

structures

as

focuses only on market in conventional

steering mechanisms, as ‘new public management’ approaches, but also considers hierarchies (such as bureaucracies) approaches, but also considers hierarchies (such as bureaucracies) and cooperative networks as potential facilitating structures in appropriate circumstances;

(cid:132) does not reason only in terms of the logic of ends and means, inputs and outputs, but recognizes that the characteristics of the key processes in social interaction (e.g. transparency, integrity, honesty) processes in social interaction (e g transparency integrity honesty) are likely to be valuable in themselves;

(cid:132) is inherently political, concerned as it is with the interplay of stakeholders seeking to exercise power over each other in order to further their own interests.

KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS

KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS KEY GOVERNANCE CONCEPTS

(cid:132) no longer

structures

as

focuses only on market in conventional

steering mechanisms, as ‘new public management’ approaches, but also considers hierarchies (such as bureaucracies) approaches, but also considers hierarchies (such as bureaucracies) and cooperative networks as potential facilitating structures in appropriate circumstances;

(cid:132) does not reason only in terms of the logic of ends and means, inputs and outputs, but recognizes that the characteristics of the key processes in social interaction (e.g. transparency, integrity, honesty) processes in social interaction (e g transparency integrity honesty) are likely to be valuable in themselves;

(cid:132) is inherently political, concerned as it is with the interplay of stakeholders seeking to exercise power over each other in order to further their own interests.

THE CHANGING ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS FROM POLICY MAKING TOWARDS POLICY MODERATING

(cid:132) If governance is much more than government, does this mean that governments no longer have an important role to play in local politics and service delivery? (cid:132) Such questions are misguided,

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(cid:131) What are the roles of different stakeholders, including the c ud g t e

stakeholders? W at a e t e o es o d e e t sta e o de s, public sector, in solving different problems in society?

since they consider governance issues out of context. More meaningful governance questions would rather be: b (cid:131) When does government still matter? (cid:131) What functions could public agencies share with other (cid:131) What functions could public agencies share with other

THE CHANGING ROLE

(cid:132) The importance of public governance does not so much pose the question of ‘how much state?’ but rather ‘which state?’ (cid:132) where we have to deal with the state as the interaction of multiple stakeholders, each of whom has some public responsibility to influence and shape decisions in the public sphere.

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IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

(cid:132) Even though government

remains an important player in most contexts, it is only one player in a multi-stakeholder context.

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(cid:132) Not only public agencies but also non-governmental stakeholders such as business and the media exercise an influence upon the way the rules of the game are formulated and how it is played out in the public domain. (cid:132) The press can change the view of a large part of the population on how important is the issue of asylum seekers

IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

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(cid:132) Typically, public governance issues are likely to T i involve the following key stakeholders (among others): others): (cid:132) citizens (as individuals); (cid:132) community organizations, whether formally or loosely (cid:132) community organizations whether formally or loosely

(cid:132) nonprofit organizations (including charities and major

organized; p g ( j

(cid:132) business; (cid:132) media; (cid:132) public agencies (e.g. different levels of government or

g non-governmental organizations);

(cid:132) elected politicians.

elected bodies, including international levels); elected bodies including international levels);

NETWORKS AS A SPECIFIC MODE OF PUBLIC GOVERNANCE MODE OF PUBLIC GOVERNANCE

(cid:132) Networks have become an increasingly important

aspect of public governance.

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(cid:132) What do we mean by networks? Policy networks consist of a variety of actors who all have their own goals and strategies but who are also dependent on each other to achieve the desired public policy outcomes. There is no single actor who has enough power to (cid:132) There is no single actor who has enough power to ensure the achievement of the policy outcomes himself or herself. e se .

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NETWORKS

(cid:132) Obviously,

the operation of networks will differ depending on the distribution of power and the institutional context which determines incentives or obstacles for cooperation

(cid:132) One famous typology of policy networks is the ‘Rhodes typology’ which focuses on welfare state services

NETWORKS

NETWORKS

(cid:132) In the academic literature, network management is seen as consisting of two major elements (Kickert and Koppenjan, 1997): (cid:132) direct management of interactions within networks

(so-called game management);

(cid:132) influencing the institutional arrangements in order to improve conditions for cooperation indirectly (so- called network constitution).

NETWORKS