Governance Analysis : Critical Enquiry at the Intersection of Politics, Policy and Society

This insightful book develops a new theoretical account of governance as regimes of governing practices that shape the political ordering of social relations. This account develops insights from sociology, politics and political economy and is'post'-poststructuralist in scope. Chapters explore and synthesise three key features of governing that are often treated as contradictory: the historical contingency of statehood, the structured and unequal distribution of power and authority in governing, and the transformative possibilities of political action. This book proposes an innovative approach to governance analysis as a critical mode of empirical enquiry that is systematic, contextualised and holistic. In doing so, it also provides a new analytical framework to facilitate empirical investigation. Featuring tools of situated critique and analytical contextualisation, and with case study chapters that apply this framework in a range of empirical settings, this book is vital reading for all researchers of public policy and governance. Furthermore, researchers applying state theories to empirical investigation, and postgraduate students scrutinising complex governance settings, will also benefit from this book s theoretical account, analytical framework and case examples. "This insightful book develops a new theoretical account of governance as regimes of governing practices that shape the political ordering of social relations. This account develops insights from sociology, politics and political economy and is 'post'-poststructuralist in scope. Chapters explore and synthesise three key features of governing that are often treated as contradictory: the historical contingency of statehood, the structured and unequal distribution of power and authority in governing, and the transformative possibilities of political action. This book proposes an innovative approach to governance analysis as a critical mode of empirical enquiry that is systematic, contextualised and holistic. In doing so, it also provides a new analytical framework to facilitate empirical investigation. Featuring tools of situated critique and analytical contextualisation, and with case study chapters that apply this framework in a range of empirical settings, this book is vital reading for all researchers of public policy and governance. Furthermore, researchers applying state theories to empirical investigation, and postgraduate students scrutinising complex governance settings, will also benefit from this book's theoretical account, analytical framework and case examples"-- Provided by publisher This insightful book develops a new theoretical account of governance as regimes of governing practices that shape the political ordering of social relations. This account develops insights from sociology, politics and political economy and is 'post'-poststructuralist in scope. Chapters explore and synthesise three key features of governing that are often treated as contradictory: the historical contingency of statehood, the structured and unequal distribution of power and authority in governing, and the transformative possibilities of political action. This book proposes an innovative approach to governance analysis as a critical mode of empirical enquiry that is systematic, contextualised and holistic. In doing so, it also provides a new analytical framework to facilitate empirical investigation. 0Featuring tools of situated critique and analytical contextualisation, and with case study chapters that apply this framework in a range of empirical settings, this book is vital reading for all researchers of public policy and governance. Furthermore, researchers applying state theories to empirical investigation, and postgraduate students scrutinising complex governance settings, will also benefit from this book's theoretical account, analytical framework and case examples. Front Matter 2 Copyright 3 Contents 4 Figures 6 Contributors 7 Acknowledgements 9 PART I Ontology, theory, epistemology 10 1. Introduction to Governance Analysis: Critical Enquiry at the Intersection of Politics, Policy and Society 11 2. Regimes of governing practices, socio-political order and contestation 33 3. Governance analysis: epistemological orientations and analytical framework 56 PART II Governing practices, statehoods and social inequalities 77 4. Governing skills, governing workplaces: explaining the New Labour Skills Strategy for England 78 5. The political ordering of migrant workers through labour admission policies 102 6. Understanding the complexity and implications of the English care policy system 121 7. Understanding the state–third sector relationship in public services delivery 141 PART III Governing practices, social politics and contestation 160 8. Participatory governing through co-production and co-design 161 9. Participatory governing at the margins of the state 182 10. Governing, politics and policy contestation within European networks 200 Index 220 This state-of-the-art book develops the parameters of ‘governance analysis’ as a critical mode of enquiry. From a synthesis of theoretical approaches to public policy and governance, it offers a critical analytical perspective for empirical research and the development of theories of governance. This perspective is applied to seven detailed examples, from local to international and comparative public policy. Both innovative and unique, Governance Analysis shows that the messy real life of policymaking and its implications can be analysed systematically and insightfully without retreating to outdated ‘models’ of public policymaking or case-specific critique.