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Cover -- Half Title -- Series Information -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Figures -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction -- An Overview of the Literatures -- COVID-19 -- Notes -- Part I Concepts -- 2 Governance -- A Brief History of Governance -- Conceptualizations of Governance -- Polycentrism -- COVID-19 and Governance -- Summary -- Notes -- 3 Governance Networks -- A Brief History of Network Thinking and Science -- Governance Networks -- An Ideal Type of Governance Networks and Typologies -- COVID and Governance Networks -- Summary -- Notes -- 4 Complexity -- A Definition of Complexity -- Systems -- Systemness -- Systems and Networks -- Multiplicity, Variations, and Nonlinearity -- Self-Organization -- A Historical Background -- Complexity Theory and Self-Organization -- Self-Organization in Governance Networks -- Emergence -- Coevolution -- Complexity and COVID-19 -- Coevolution: A Macro View of the Pandemic -- Defining Systems -- Nonlinearity -- Self-organization -- Summary -- Notes -- Part II A Complex Governance Networks Conceptualization -- 5 Introduction of the Conceptualization -- The Micro-Macro Problem and Collective Problems of Human Societies -- A Brief Background of the Micro-Macro Problem -- Why the Micro-Macro Problem Is Important for Understanding Social Systems -- The Micro-Macro Problem and Policy Process Theories -- Micro, Macro, and Other Levels -- Summary -- Notes -- 6 Micro Units -- Rationality of Actors/Agents -- Criticisms of the Rationality Assumption -- (Bounded) Rationality in Policy Process Theories -- Complexity Theory and Rational Actor -- Summary -- Note -- 7 Micro to Macro -- Aggregation Or Emergence? -- Irreducibility -- Mechanisms of Emergence -- Modeling the Micro to Macro Processes -- Summary -- Notes -- 8 Macro to Micro: Background and Conceptualizations of Downward Causation.

"What are the roles of governments and other actors in solving, or alleviating, collective action problems in today's world? The traditional conceptual frameworks of public administration and public policy studies have become less relevant in answering this question. This book critically assesses traditional conceptual frameworks and proposes an alternative: A Complex Governance Networks (CGN) framework. Advocating that complexity theory should be systematically integrated with foundational concepts of public administration and public policy, Göktuğ Morçöl begins by clarifying the component concepts of CGN and then addresses the implications of CGN for key issues in public administration and policy studies: publicness, the state, rationality, effectiveness, accountability, and democracy. He illustrates the applicability of the CGN concepts with examples from the Covid-19 pandemic and metropolitan governance, particularly the roles of business improvement districts in governance processes. Morçöl concludes by discussing the implications of CGN for the convergence of public administration and public policy education and offering suggestions for future studies using the CGN conceptualization. Complex Governance Networks is essential reading for both scholars and advanced students of public policy, public administration, public affairs, and related areas"--

Business improvement districts (BIDs) are self-assessment districts initiated and self-governed by property or business owners. This book presents research and theoretical discussion on BIDs in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It addresses issues such as performance evaluation, accountability, and, the effectiveness of BIDs

Handbook of Decision Making is the first text of its kind to include the mainstream methods and theories of decision making, as well as the influence of theological and philosophical traditions, and contemporary scientific theories. Common patterns are identified and the variations that different contexts may generate. The text covers the mainstream methods of decision making such as cost-benefit analysis and linear programming. It also explains alternative and emerging methods such as geographic information systems, Q-methodology, and narrative policy analysis. Practical applications are disc.

Elinor Ostrom's contributions to the understanding self-organization in collective action processes are discussed from a complexity theory perspective. It is argued that complexity researchers can learn from Ostrom's theory building process, as well her conceptualization of the conditions of self-organization in the management of common-pool resources. Her focus on self-organization helps rectify the problems with the assumption in the mainstream policy analysis that policy processes can be explained with external causes. The conceptual problems in her utility maximizing rational actor assumption and the potential for conceptual advancements in her recognition of complexity concepts are discussed. It is argued that Ostrom's conceptual framework is sophisticated, but it lacks a dynamic understanding of the micro–macro relationships in complex governance systems, and that complexity theory offers the conceptual tools to remedy this problem.

The case is made for a complex governance networks conceptualization. The contributions of the literatures on governance, networks, and complexity studies are discussed. Governance researchers challenged the traditional ways of thinking in public policy and administration and highlighted the multi-centered nature of policy and administrative processes. Governance networks researchers applied the refined network concepts and methods to our understanding of governance processes. Complexity researchers provide ontological and epistemological grounding to governance networks studies and conceptual and methodological tools to study the self-organizational, emergent, and coevolutionary processes within and among complex governance networks. It is argued that the concepts and methods of the three streams should be synthesized and that complex governance network researchers should incorporate the insights of well-established theories of policy processes, such as the institutional analysis and development framework and the advocacy coalition framework.

Elinor Ostrom's contributions to the understanding self-organization in collective action processes are discussed from a complexity theory perspective. It is argued that complexity researchers can learn from Ostrom's theory building process, as well her conceptualization of the conditions of self-organization in the management of common-pool resources. Her focus on self-organization helps rectify the problems with the assumption in the mainstream policy analysis that policy processes can be explained with external causes. The conceptual problems in her utility maximizing rational actor assumption and the potential for conceptual advancements in her recognition of complexity concepts are discussed. It is argued that Ostrom's conceptual framework is sophisticated, but it lacks a dynamic understanding of the micro–macro relationships in complex governance systems, and that complexity theory offers the conceptual tools to remedy this problem.

The case is made for a complex governance networks conceptualization. The contributions of the literatures on governance, networks, and complexity studies are discussed. Governance researchers challenged the traditional ways of thinking in public policy and administration and highlighted the multi-centered nature of policy and administrative processes. Governance networks researchers applied the refined network concepts and methods to our understanding of governance processes. Complexity researchers provide ontological and epistemological grounding to governance networks studies and conceptual and methodological tools to study the self-organizational, emergent, and coevolutionary processes within and among complex governance networks. It is argued that the concepts and methods of the three streams should be synthesized and that complex governance network researchers should incorporate the insights of well-established theories of policy processes, such as the institutional analysis and development framework and the advocacy coalition framework.

This paper discusses the implications of the sciences of complexity for public policy and administration. It is argued that the sciences of complexity have implications for our thinking in mainly three areas. First, they revise our conceptions of systems, causal relations, and determinism and depict a picture of mostly indeterministic reality composed of open systems. Second, they offer an "endophysical" and phenomenological view of system - observer relations. Third, although they are heavily quantitative, they illustrate the importance of qualitative interpretations in quantitative analyses and thus bridge the chasm between quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The insights of the sciences of complexity can help us improve our understanding of the complexities of public policy and administrative processes.

Despite the large amounts of human and financial resources invested to foster democratic governance in developing countries, statistics show that the majority of these countries have not yet achieved significant improvements in living standards. While some regions make strides towards improving the living conditions of their citizens, Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, is still trapped in poverty with more than 40% of its 600 million people living below the internationally recognized absolute poverty line of one US dollar per day. Poor governance and corruption should be highlighted as the most important systemic factors contributing to poverty in developing countries. As a result the institutional foundations of these countries are weakened, public funds are misappropriated, and policies and programs aimed at reducing poverty and fostering sustainable economic growth are undermined. It is therefore not surprising that a 2008 Transparency International report found a direct link between corruption and the failure of the societal institutions designed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the majority of developing countries. This book investigates the problems of democratic governance, particularly as they relate to corruption, and also whether democracy should be based on universal principles or local context and historical factors. It also analyses the rule of law, in promoting democratic governance and curbing corruption and if governmental, non-governmental organizations, and civil societies are effective in promoting democratic governance and curbing corruption. This book will go beyond identifying the challenges and offer plausible solutions that could be adapted to various developing countries. It is premised on the importance of bridging theory and practice, which has been lacking in most local and international development publications, making of interest to scholars and policy-makers alike concerned with public administration in developing countries

A conceptual framework is proposed to investigate the accountability of business improvement district (BID) in urban governance networks and it is applied in analyses of BID state enabling laws in the United States. The conditions that lead to their emergence and the enhancement of their functions and how BIDs and their accountability issues should be conceptualized are discussed. The multidimensional framework proposed in this study includes political and bureaucratic accountability, transparency, liability, and responsiveness mechanisms. The results of the analyses show that the laws rely primarily on political and bureaucratic control mechanisms and provide some transparency mechanisms. The problems in implementing the bureaucratic and political control mechanisms are elaborated. The implications of the findings for future empirical studies are discussed.