166-427 Governance and Complexity

Formerly available as 166-051. Students who have completed 166-051 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth-year honours in political science or public policy and management, or postgraduate coursework programs in political science or public policy and management

This subject explores the impact of economic globalisation on governance and public policy. Governance is defined as the organisation of collective action, characteristic of groups and social structures, and entailing a mix of three ideal types of organisation: hierarchy, market and network. We will examine competing theories about the relevance of territorial-based systems of governance in a globalising era. Following Susan Strange and Philip Cerny, we explore contemporary governance as a complex process of 'interactive self-regulating mechanisms' or 'webs of contracts'. Finally, the subject examines a range of policy and structural innovations, both real and imagined, and evaluates their political feasibility.

Written work totalling 5000 words.