Governance in Modern Society

Tremendous changes are affecting the institutions of government in many western European countries. Globalization, European integration, economic, technological, and societal developments have a major influence on public policies and governmental performance. These developments have furthered a framework in which governmental and non-governmental actors are linked by both reciprocal connections and more complex network relationships. This volume attempts to identify and analyze the effects, the change, and the formation of government institutions in relation to the above-mentioned developments. More specifically the following topics are discussed: the European Union as a system of multi-level governance, national government institutions and policies, change of government institutions and changing state-society relations, new public management reforms, ICT and changing organizational boundaries, political institutions and policy-oriented learning, management of public-private partnerships, interactive policy making, and structural legal institutions. This volume should be of particular interest to administrators, researchers, policy makers, and students in the field of public administration and public policy.