J. Kooiman

Social-Political Governance

The concept of ‘governance’ is in use in many different sub-disciplines of the social sciences. Although there are many differences in the way it is defined and applied, common elements are the emphasis on rules and qualities of systems, co-operation to enhance legitimacy and effectiveness and the attention for new processes and public-private arrangements. The apparent success of the concept seems to be that it reflects the societal need for new initiatives based upon the realization of growing societal interdependencies. The article surveys different uses. One form of governance is what may be called interactive or social-political governance. This perspective on governance takes different forms of social-political interactions as its central theme in which different kinds of distinctions are made, such as between self, ‘co’ and hierarchical governance and between orders of governance such as first-order governance, which means problem-solving and opportunity-creation, second-order governance, which loo...

Exploring the Concept of Governability

Abstract In this paper a start is made in developing a conceptual model for the governability of a particular societal system based upon the (inter)active perspective on governance. Governability is seen as consisting of three main components, a system-to-be-governed (SG), a governance system (GS), and the interactions between these two (GI). The basis for conceptualizing the GS is the primary processes in which societal sectors specialize. These processes show characteristics by which they can be analyzed, such as their diversity, dynamics and complexity. The GS can be operationalized according to aspects of governance activities: elements, modes and orders of governance, and in the three major societal governance institutions: state, market, civil society and increasingly hybrid forms among them. The article also discusses the GI where one input is from the SG to the GS, defined as participatory interactions, and another from the GS to the SG which is seen as policy and management driven forms of interactions. Together these major governability components form a conceptual basis to analyze and eventually assess the governability of a particular societal sector, such as a fishery, a coastal zone or in fact any societal sector.

Research and theory about new public services management

Outlines the broad area of research into and, theory development of, public services management (PSM). Deals with theories on the State; governance; non‐profit organizations and PSM itself. Speculates on future trends and finally develops some ideas on how to cope with the diversity, complexity and dynamics of PSM in an international academic community.

Interactive governance and governability

Kooiman in his chapter presents the foundations of his approach to interactive governance and governability, and the way it has been used and developed in empirical research. In this chapter interactive governance is defined as the whole range of interactions to solve societal problems and to create societal opportunities, the formulation and application of principles guiding those interactions and the care for institutions enabling them. Governability is seen as the overall quality for governance of any societal entity, divided into a system-to-be-governed, a governing system and a system of interactions mediating between the two. Diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale are argued to be major variables influencing the governance and governability of societal entities. In such governance the state, market and civil society play roles; Kooiman argues that these should be analysed at both an actor and a structural level.