Putting Civil Society in Its Place: Governance, Metagovernance and Subjectivity (Civil Society and Social Change)

This book interprets civil society both as a shifting horizon of action and as an ensemble of governance arrangements with diverse agents rather than as a fixed reality with a definite substance. Its focus is not so much on civil society as it is on governance, metagovernance, and their forms of failure. These phenomena are examined from a governance theoretical viewpoint concerned with the coordination through self-organizing networks, partnerships and other forms of reflexive collaboration and, relatedly, in terms of an alleged ‘shift from government to governance’ in the polity and similar shifts from hierarchical authority to networked or ‘heterarchical’ coordination in many other social fields. After exploring these themes, the book presents the two phases of the WISERD civil society research programme and locates it in terms of Marx, Gramsci, and Foucault. The book then presents Bob Jessop’s own case studies of the role of governance in tackling economic and social problems and the limits and failures of economic and social policy in various styles of governance. It concludes with remarks on the struggle to integrate civil society into governance, and the power of social networks and solidarity within civil society. It thereby provides a comprehensive review of the factors that influence their success and identifies lessons for future social innovation. Front cover Halftitle Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of tables and figures Abbreviations Note on the author Acknowledgements Licensing information Preface 1. Introduction Part I. Complexity, contingency and governance 2. The governance of complexity and the complexity of governance 3. Governance failure, metagovernance and its failure 4. Semantic, institutional and spatio-temporal fixes Part II. Locating civil society as a mode of governance 5. Locating the WISERD Project: Public policy governance towards common good 6. Locating civil society in Marx and Gramsci 7. Locating civil society in Foucault Part III. Governance failure and metagovernance 8. The multispatial governance of social and economic policy 9. The dynamics of economic and social partnerships and governance failure 10. Competitiveness vs civil society as modes of governance 11. Conclusions Endnotes References Index Back cover ''Renowned social and political theorist Bob Jessop explores the idea of civil society as a mode of governance in this bold challenge to current thinking. Developing theories of governance failure and metagovernance, the book analyses the limits and failures of economic and social policy in various styles of governance. Reviewing the principles of self-emancipation and self-responsibilisation it considers the struggle to integrate civil society into governance, and the power of social networks and solidarity within civil society. With case studies of mobilisations to tackle economic and social problems, this is a comprehensive review of the factors that influence their success and identifies lessons for future social innovation.''-- Site de l'éditeur Renowned social and political theorist Bob Jessop explores the idea of civil society as a mode of governance in this bold challenge to current thinking. Developing theories of governance failure and metagovernance, the book analyses the limits and failures of economic and social policy in various styles of governance. Reviewing the principles of self-emancipation and self-responsibilisation it considers the struggle to integrate civil society into governance, and the power of social networks and solidarity within civil society. With case studies of mobilisations to tackle economic and social problems, this is a comprehensive review of the factors that influence their success and identifies lessons for future social innovation.--publisher.

Renowned social and political theorist Bob Jessop explores the idea of civil society as a mode of governance in this bold challenge to current thinking. Developing theories of governance failure and metagovernance, the book analyses the limits and failures of economic and social policy in various styles of governance. Reviewing the principles of self-emancipation and self-responsibilisation it considers the struggle to integrate civil society into governance, and the power of social networks and solidarity within civil society. With case studies of mobilisations to tackle economic and social problems, this is a comprehensive review of the factors that influence their success and identifies lessons for future social innovation.

Through theories of metagovernance and case studies of mobilisations against economic and social problems, Bob Jessop explores the idea of civil society as a mode of governance. Reviewing concepts of self-emancipation and self-responsibilisation, he challenges conventional thinking and identifies lessons for future social innovation.