Multi-level Governance

The role and powers of nation states are a topic of increasing debate. The transfer of competencies upwards to supra-national organizations, sideways to quasi-autonomous actors, and downwards to sub-national authorities has rguably transformed both the structure and capacity of national governments. It is within this context that the concept of multi-level governance has emerged as an approach to understanding the dynamic inter-relationship within and between different levels of governance and government. Moreover, multi-level governance is frequently interpreted as a novel analytical framework with the capacity to challenge and refine traditionally dominant approaches. Multi-Level Governance analyses the ways in which the concept has been applied across different academic and policy territories. The future of nation states vis-à-vis sub-national and supra-national organizations and the increasing fluidity of political power is clearly a fundamental issue for scholars of politics and government. New analytical frameworks that eschew traditional disciplinary boundaries and epistemological positions are needed to comprehend the changing nature of governance. In this context, the volume undertakes a critical assessment of both the potentialities and the limitations of multi-level governance.

Table of Contents:
Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations and Acronyms Foreword 1: Ian Bache and Matthew Flinders: Themes and Issues in Multi-Level Governance Part 1: Theory 2: Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks: Contrasting Visions of Multi-Level Governance 3: James N. Rosenau: Strong Demand, Huge Supply 4: Bob Jessop: Multi-Level Governance and Multi-Level Meta-Governance 5: Guy Peters and Jon Pierre: Multi-Level Governance and Democracy Part 2: Levels 6: Ian Bache and Matthew Flinders: Multi-Level Governance and British Politics 7: Stephen George: Multi-Level Governance and the European Union 8: Stephen Welch and Caroline Kennedy-Pipe: Multi-Level Governance and International Relations Part 3: Sectors 9: Jenny Fairbrass and Andrew Jordan: Multi-Level Governance and Environmental Policy 10: Ian Bache: Multi-Level Governance and Regional Policy 11: Jonathan Perraton and Peter Wells: Multi-Level Governance and Economic Policy 12: Ian Bache and Matthew Flinders: Multi-Level Governance: Conclusions and Implications Bibliography Index

Review :
Bache and Flinders have assembled a valuable booka very good and coherently edited stocktaking of the multi-level governance literature. Journal of Common Market Studies This volume represents an important contribution to the literature dealing with governance in general and would be of benefit to students not only of multi-level governance This book is likely to be of value to researchers and to graduate students in the field of European Union and domestic politics for some years to come. Regional and Federal Studies Even those familiar with the literature on multi-level governance are likely to encounter new theoretical perspectives. Apart from the merits of the individual chapters, the real strength of the book lies in its thematic unity. Unlike many edited volumes, this book is not a collection of separate chapters that happen to be between the covers of the same book. Rather Ian Bache and Matthew Flinders ensure that this edited volume is tightly focused.Given the complexity of the concept this is a considerable achievement. For serious scholars of multi-level governance the book is essential reading. Political Studies Review