166-412 Heterarchy, Networks & Self Organisation

Formerly available as 166-062. Students who have completed 166-062 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth-year honours in political science or sociology.

This subject examines the nature of contemporary governance from the perspective of the role of theories of network structure and organisation. Networks are defined as human and non-human (informational) ensembles between the public and private realms. Networking is examined as a potential form of self-organisation (autopoeisis, catallaxy or heterarchy). As Beck argues in The Reinvention of Politics (1997), 'self-organisation means (reflexive) subpoliticisation of society'. Three research traditions will be explored: actor-network theory, management-organisational theories of networking, and innovation network theory. The seminar will use the work of Beck, Luhmann, Castells, Knoke, Rogers, Rhodes, Kooiman and others to investigate ways in which networking constitutes a new governance regime in contemporary societies. The various normative and methodological problems of different network theories will also be examined.