Network Governance: Concepts, Theories, and Applications

Network governance has received much attention within the fields of public administration and policy in recent years, but surprisingly few books are designed specifically to help students, researchers, and practitioners examine key concepts, synthesize the growing body of literature into reliable frameworks, and to bridge the theory-practice gap by exploring network applications. Network Governance: Concepts, Theories, and Applications is the first textbook to focus on interorganizational networks and network governance from the perspective of public policy and administration, asking important questions such as: How are networks designed and developed? How are they governed, and what type of leadership do they require? To whom are networks accountable, and when are they effective? How can network governance contribute to effective delivery of public services and policy implementation? In this timely new book, authors Naim Kapucu and Qian Hu define and examine key concepts, propose exciting new theoretical frameworks to synthetize the fast-growing body of network research in public policy and administration, and provide detailed discussion of applications. Network Governance offers not only a much-needed systematic examination of existing knowledge, but it also goes much further than existing books by discussing the applications of networks in a wide range of management practice and policy domains—including natural resource management, environmental protection, public health, emergency and crisis management, law enforcement, transportation, and community and economic development. Chapters include understudied network research topics such as power and decision-making in interorganizational networks, virtual networks, global networks, and network analysis applications. What sets this book apart is the introduction of social network analysis and coverage of applications of social network analysis in the policy and management domains. PowerPoint slides and a sample syllabus are available for adopters on an accompanying website. Drawing on literature from sociology, policy sciences, organizational studies, and economics, this textbook will be required reading for courses on network governance, collaborative public management, cross-sector governance, and collaboration and partnerships in programs of public administration, public affairs, and public policy.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction-Networks and Network Governance 2. Interorganizational Networks and Social Network Analysis 3. Network Types, Function, and Structures 4. Network Formation, Development, Resilience and Sustainability, Demise, and Transformation 5. Network Management and Leadership 6. Knowledge Management and Information Exchange in Networks 7. Power and Decision-Making in Interorganizational Networks 8. Legitimacy and Accountability in Networks 9. Network Performance and Evaluation 10. Networks in Emergency and Crisis Management 11. Networks in Community and Economic Development 12. Networks in Human and Social Services 13. Networks in Virtual Environments 14. Global Perspectives on Networks 15. Conclusion: Network Governance Scholarship and Practice

About the Author :
Naim Kapucu is Pegasus Professor of Public Administration and Policy and Director of the School of Public Administration in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida, USA. Qian Hu is Associate Professor of Public Administration in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida, USA.

Review :
"This is an important and comprehensive book covering the links between networks and network governance, two topics often treated separately. The fact that they are integral to the design of this book makes it unique and allows Kapucu and Hu to weave in theory, methods, and examples that make it useful for both student and scholar. The emphasis on network leadership, decisionmaking, and politics adds human agency to research that largely uses structure to evaluate network performance." H. Brinton Milward, University of Arizona, USA "In a shared-power, no-one-wholly-in-charge world, we have no choice but to make use of networks and network governance to address public challenges that spill beyond organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. Naim Kapucu and Qian Hu have performed an invaluable service in synthesizing and clarifying a great deal of literature on network theory, methods, and governance experience to help all of us better understand how to address these major challenges." John M. Bryson, University of Minnesota, USA "The field of network governance is still evolving and Kapucu and Hu present an excellent base in which they present the state of the art of the field and at the same time make some original contributions to the field. More importantly, they also indicate how and where this field could be developed further." Patrick Kenis, Tilburg University, the Netherlands "Now governance and networks have become the ‘new normal’, books that elaborate and clarify this are more than welcome. This book offers a very good addition to the literature, covering the emergence and evaluation of networks as well as a number of important topics in the network literature." Erik Hans Klijn, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands "This comprehensive guide to network governance across disciplines is a creative and innovative contribution to the literature. It is a ‘must read’ for anyone learning, doing, or just trying to understand network analysis. Highly recommended." Rosemary O’Leary, Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor, University of Kansas, USA