Governance Networks in Public Administration and Public Policy: (Public Administration and Public Policy)

What do public administrators and policy analysts have in common? Their work is undertaken within networks formed when different organizations align to accomplish a policy function. This second edition of Governance Networks in Public Administration and Public Policy offers a conceptual framework for describing governance networks and provides a theoretical and empirical foundation in their construction. Based on research and real-life experience, the book highlights the interplay between public actors and policy tools, details the skills and functions of public administrators in the context of networked relationships, and identifies the reforms and trends in governing that lead to governance networks. This practical text makes complex concepts accessible, so that readers can engage in them, apply them, and deepen their understanding of the dynamics unfolding around them. This second edition includes: A dedicated chapter on “complexity friendly” meso-level theories to examine core questions facing governance network analysis. New applications drawn from the authors’ own work in watershed governance, transportation planning, food systems development, electric energy distribution, the regulation of energy, and response and recovery from natural disasters, as well as from unique computational modeling of governance networks. Instructor and student support materials, including PowerPoint® presentations and writable case study templates, may be found on an accompanying eResource page. Governance Networks in Public Administration and Public Policy, 2e is an indispensable core text for graduate and postgraduate courses on governance and collaboration in schools of Public Administration/Management and Public Policy.

Table of Contents:
Preface.  Introduction.  1. The Emergence of Governance Networks: Historical Context, Contemporary Trends, and Considerations  2. Defining the Governance Network  3. The Actors within Governance Networks  4. The Ties between Actors  5. Network Level Functions  6. Network Level Structures  7. Governance Networks as Complex Adaptive Systems  8. How Are Governance Networks Managed?  9. The Hybridized Accountability Regimes of Governance Networks  10. Governance Network Performance Management and Measurement  11. Meso Level Theories for Governance Network Analysis  12. Governance Networks Analysis: Implications for Practice, Education, and Research  13. Postscript: The Case for Stronger Democratic Anchorage in Governance Networks

About the Author :
Christopher Koliba is Professor of Public Administration and Director of the Master of Public Administration Program at the University of Vermont, USA. Jack W. Meek is Professor of Public Administration and Director of the Center for Research, College of Business and Public Management at the University of La Verne, USA. Asim Zia is Professor of Public Policy and Decision Analysis at the University of Vermont, USA. Russell W. Mills is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Regional Development at Bowling Green State University, USA.

Review :
"We live in challenging times where rapid advancements in governance theories and methods match with an acute understanding that many policies and politics are falling short of delivering the things society needs in order to improve. This book brings together ideas from different strands, such as social network analysis and systems theories, to present a coherent understanding of the complexity of governing today’s society. Highly recommended to scientists and practitioners who wish to stay on top of their game." – Lasse Gerrits, Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg, Germany "In articulating the values that underlie the search for democratic governance, and explaining the processes of communication, coordination, and coherence that generate networks as instruments of collective action, the authors make a lasting contribution to the field of public administration and policy. At a time when democratic values and principles have come under attack in the public discourse, this book is a clear explanation of governance as a complex, dynamic process and an affirmation of the capacity of citizens to create viable instruments of public policy and practice." – Louise Comfort, University of Pittsburgh, USA "A masterful and comprehensive overview of interorganizational governance and related approaches as complex adaptive systems and both stable and changing entities that are democratically anchored. This volume also approaches network administration as exchange/adjustment related steering and promotion and cooperative strategic and mutual adjustments based on knowledge development." – Robert Agranoff, Indiana University, USA