Polycentrism: How Governing Works Today

This book explores how society (mis)handles pressing challenges such as armed violence,cultural difference,ecological degradation,economic restructuring,geopolitical shifts,global pandemics,migration flows,and technological change in ways that are (not) democratic, effective, fair, peaceful, and sustainable. It identifies four paradigms of knowledge about polycentric governing - organizational, legal, relational, and structural - and pursues conversations across the divides that normally keep these approaches within separate research communities.

Format: Hardback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 25 May 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Governing in the Modern World: Challenges and Responses

The concept of polycentrism, which holds that contemporary governing is dispersed, fluctuating, messy, elusive, and headless, is explored in this volume. It addresses pressing challenges such as armed violence, cultural difference, ecological degradation, economic restructuring, geopolitical shifts, global pandemics, migration flows, and technological change in ways that are (not) democratic, effective, fair, peaceful, and sustainable.

Chapters in the book develop the notion of polycentrism from various academic disciplines and theoretical approaches, offering comprehensive coverage of exciting new thinking about how the world is (mis)ruled. Four paradigms of knowledge about polycentric governing are identified: organizational, legal, relational, and structural. These paradigms are then pursued through conversations across the divides that normally keep these approaches within separate research communities.

The book highlights the distinctive emphases, potentials, and limitations of each approach to polycentric governing. It also generates promising novel avenues of thought about polycentrism through various combinations of the different theories.

By engaging with the ideas presented in this book, readers will be able to develop and refine their own understandings of governing in the modern world. It serves as a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to navigate the complex and interconnected challenges of contemporary governance.

This open-access title is available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Academic and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.

Weight: 746g
Dimension: 240 x 160 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192866837