Governing Complex Societies

Western societies are becoming increasingly complex and challenging to govern, yet the modern state continues to play a central role in governance. This book presents a detailed analysis of the challenges confronting the contemporary state and the processes through which the state addresses those challenges. The notion of 'governing without government' is critiqued; instead, Pierre and Peters argue that what is happening a more a matter of state transformation than state decline.

The term 'governance' has become one of the most widely used in debates in Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations - often to mean very different things. Written by two leading political scientists, Governance, Politics and the State is the first systematic introduction to its nature, meaning and significance. Its central concern is with how societies are being, and can be, steered in an increasingly complex world where states must increasingly interact with and influence other actors and institutions to achieve results.

Nowadays, politics is only one voice among many in the concert of social self-organization. Its function is to articulate the differentiated systems of our societies: it encourages their self-restraint, while at the same time restraining itself. Such a conception obviously threatens the primacy of the nation-state. While it is not necessarily disappearing, it must nevertheless cease to be thought of as a dominant principle of organization, and must assume its place in a system of regulation that proceeds on several levels. Distant from the anarchist or Marxist theories that herald the end of the state as it is from libertarian theories of the minimal state, the book illustrates that it is possible in the contemporary period to go beyond the alternatives of dirigisme and neoliberal spontaneity. However, such a transformation can only prove effective through two conditions: we must first reject the enduring opposition between Right and Left, and second, we must invent an anti-state social democracy that is able in its own right to glean the most it can out of the liberal legacy. This book combines philosophical technicality, clarity and elegance of writing in an attempt to provide politics with meaning again, particularly in an era where discourse about its powerlessness abounds.

The term 'governance' has become on of the most widely used in debates in Political Science - and one of the most misunderstood and contested. This leading and defining text has been updated throughout and extended to cover netweork, global and multi-level governance, on meta-governance and complexity, measurement and building empirical models.

Dr Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory.

It is, however, often used to mean a variety of different things.

What structures of power are involved in governing societies and how are they connected? How is the liberal idea of governing through freedom linked to the increasing control of marginalised populations? Have we reached the end of history in which governing largely concerns self-governing individuals, networks and communities? Should we dispense with the 'container view of society' and contemplate the 'death of the social'? Today, many people in academia, politics and business, question the idea of being able to govern society. The nation state and sovereign government are displaced by globalization and individualization. Mitchell Dean focuses on ‘governing societies’ as a distinctive project that continues to define political life today. The book offers a critical analysis of contemporary liberal approaches to governing societies both in domestic and international affairs. Governing Societies provides an overview of current perspectives and theories and examines recent transformations in techniques and rationalities of rule. It presents a new argument for the importance and transformation of sovereignty and powers of life and death and how they are integral to governing liberal-democratic societies. The book is key reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of sociology and politics, as well as researchers and academics.

Governing Complexity in the 21st Century surveys the ways in which social systems are becoming more complex. It shows how this complexity impacts every aspect of life for individuals, governments and societies in most social systems at individual, regional, national and global scales and explores how embracing 'complexity thinking' can greatly improve the art of governance in all policy areas. The book clearly explains the ideas and methods of complexity science - widely accepted in both the natural and social sciences - then demonstrates how 'complexity thinking' can be applied to improve our understanding of governance and policy actions. Providing a deep analysis of many governance challenges, including economic development and technological innovation, environment management, climate change, and development in the Middle East, the book also compares national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clear and jargon-free, this book is accessible to undergraduates and scholars alike. It is essential reading for policymakers everywhere, showcasing methods for governing effectively and efficiently in our increasingly complex world. It brings together the broad range of social and environmental science fields and will be useful for those studying or working in policy, politics and international relations, environmental issues, business management, philosophy, history and sociology.