Advanced Introduction to Governance

A fair commentary on this book is that it is wisdom distilled. If you want to grapple with governance and get a clear sense of its core, this is the book for you. If you want to understand some of its subtleties and complexities, this is also the book for you. These authors are the joint godfathers of governance. They are making you an offer you should not refuse. -- Gerry Stoker, University of Southampton, UK 'With their typical clarity, Pierre and Peters manage to bring an enormous range of dispersed research together into a focused framework for analyzing governance--a framework that puts governance into perspective by illuminating its distinctive features and by making its relationship to government and governing crystal clear. The result is a highly readable account that will greatly enhance cross-national research.' -- Christopher Ansell, University of California, Berkeley, US 'This Advanced Introduction, authored by two internationally leading scholars in the field, provides a much needed, inspiring and reflected analysis of theories and concepts of governance. Based on innovative analytical distinctions, the book offers a highly accessible and encompassing approach to study one of the most important concepts in the public policy and public administration literature.' -- Christoph Knill, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany

Jon Pierre, Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of Government, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh, US

Contents: Preface 1. Introduction: What is governance? 2. Etatiste governance 3. Network and interactive governance 4. Multilevel governance 5. Informal governance 6. Metagovernance: The governance of governance 7. Good governance? 8. Theoretical and methodological issues in governance research References Index