Abstract
The concept of governance aims at capturing the complexity of real world policy processes. The distinction between those who govern and those who are governed has become increasingly blurred. Governance processes take place at the interface between state, market and civil society and may take various forms. These different forms are called modes of governance. They differ in terms of the kind of actors involved and their roles, and in terms of the nature and logic of interactions. Depending on the governance challenge, a particular governance mode or a combination of modes may be most effective in addressing the challenge. In this chapter I review the notion of governance modes and how it has been defined and applied by various governance scholars. I argue in favour of using the classical distinction of bureaucratic hierarchies, networks and markets as major governance modes. Through analysis the role of diverse hybrid forms among these three modes needs to be identified, in particular in the context of governance of transformation and institutional change.
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Pahl-Wostl, C. (2015). Governance Modes. In: Water Governance in the Face of Global Change. Water Governance - Concepts, Methods, and Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21855-7_5
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