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C08.13 Geography of Governance
Session: Governance - key theoretical and methodological issues, main research directions
Chair(s): Ján Bucek & Shannon O'Lear
Abstract:
Despite long term use of governance in not only in geography but in social sciences as well, it has manifold meanings and interpretation. It is evolving, transforming, debated in various forms, as for example collaborative governance, or multilevel governance etc. We should pay attention to its complexity, linked benefits, discuss challenged values and reveal its limits. Into core of the analyses is democracy and representation, accountability, as well as efficiency, or long-term sustainability. Positive as well as negative aspects of governance need careful evaluation. Governance is strongly influenced by changing nature, tools and techniques applied in managing spaces and places. Challenging is better understanding of multi-level governance and other more horizontal intergovernmental relations (various lines of public administration and specialised agencies, central state). Although there are often comments that there is much more theorizing and less deep research as such, we should attempt to theorize once again. Within the last decades environmental issues penetrated into priorities of all levels of government. Much stronger is pressure for sustainable development and fair natural resources management and distribution. Scarcity of resources and urgency of environmental issues make this field an uneasy field for all levels of government. It combines extremely high number of interests from all sectors (public, private, NGOs, citizens), with different capacities and power background. The concept of governance in this context obtains new dimensions. One of the key issues for future is how to manage successfully quality of the environment and use of crucial natural resources in different spatial scales. Governance is now world-wide debated concept. We should attempt to understand different cultural and institutional traditions that influence its functioning. They generate different form of governance, with different levels of satisfaction and efficiency. Good governance is often not the case of imitation of transferred experiences, but intelligent adaptation of more traditional ones into new purposes. We should learn from approaches know in many different societies and cultures. Important innovations offer many less developed, as well as transitional societies. Governance is perceived differently by different group of actors and citizens. It can threat position of marginalized and less powerful groups of citizens. We should carefully observe the position of these excluded groups of citizens. Unclear, less legitimate, non-regulated environment of governance can reduce participation of marginalized groups in managing local/regional affairs. For them governance can be more threat and less a chance. It relates to issues as citizenship, political rights, access to power and possibilities to participate in local/regional power sharing. We can not forget on more distributive aspects - How to identify their right needs; provide assistance in efficient way, and improve position of such communities. Among factors that significantly influence current governance are technological innovations. We need research documenting and evaluating various forms of their application in support of modern decision making at various scales (usually known as e-government, e-planning etc). We should be aware of various technological opportunities as well as limits. They can destruct the barriers e.g. in a case of participation as well as generate them. We also need visions, where we can progress further in forthcoming years in reasonable application of such technologies in governance.
Timeslots: 5
Abstract:
Despite long term use of governance in not only in geography but in social sciences as well, it has manifold meanings and interpretation. It is evolving, transforming, debated in various forms, as for example collaborative governance, or multilevel governance etc. We should pay attention to its complexity, linked benefits, discuss challenged values and reveal its limits. Into core of the analyses is democracy and representation, accountability, as well as efficiency, or long-term sustainability. Positive as well as negative aspects of governance need careful evaluation. Governance is strongly influenced by changing nature, tools and techniques applied in managing spaces and places. Challenging is better understanding of multi-level governance and other more horizontal intergovernmental relations (various lines of public administration and specialised agencies, central state). Although there are often comments that there is much more theorizing and less deep research as such, we should attempt to theorize once again. Within the last decades environmental issues penetrated into priorities of all levels of government. Much stronger is pressure for sustainable development and fair natural resources management and distribution. Scarcity of resources and urgency of environmental issues make this field an uneasy field for all levels of government. It combines extremely high number of interests from all sectors (public, private, NGOs, citizens), with different capacities and power background. The concept of governance in this context obtains new dimensions. One of the key issues for future is how to manage successfully quality of the environment and use of crucial natural resources in different spatial scales. Governance is now world-wide debated concept. We should attempt to understand different cultural and institutional traditions that influence its functioning. They generate different form of governance, with different levels of satisfaction and efficiency. Good governance is often not the case of imitation of transferred experiences, but intelligent adaptation of more traditional ones into new purposes. We should learn from approaches know in many different societies and cultures. Important innovations offer many less developed, as well as transitional societies. Governance is perceived differently by different group of actors and citizens. It can threat position of marginalized and less powerful groups of citizens. We should carefully observe the position of these excluded groups of citizens. Unclear, less legitimate, non-regulated environment of governance can reduce participation of marginalized groups in managing local/regional affairs. For them governance can be more threat and less a chance. It relates to issues as citizenship, political rights, access to power and possibilities to participate in local/regional power sharing. We can not forget on more distributive aspects - How to identify their right needs; provide assistance in efficient way, and improve position of such communities. Among factors that significantly influence current governance are technological innovations. We need research documenting and evaluating various forms of their application in support of modern decision making at various scales (usually known as e-government, e-planning etc). We should be aware of various technological opportunities as well as limits. They can destruct the barriers e.g. in a case of participation as well as generate them. We also need visions, where we can progress further in forthcoming years in reasonable application of such technologies in governance.
Timeslots: 5
Session: Innovations in public sector - public administration reforms, public sector reorganizations, local finance and progress in planning
Chair(s): Eran Razin & Xiaohong Zhang
Abstract:
Public sector reorganizations and public administration reforms are almost permanent in many parts of the world. They change nature of central-local relations, are accompanied with transfers of power and resources. They are in many cases innovative, generate new framework for action, institutional environment, introduce new managerial techniques and set new requirements. Many new developments concerns public services delivery, often in partnerships with private and non-governmental sectors. These reforms can be evaluated from many important standpoints. More comparative contributions could improve our understanding of current directions in reforms all around the world. Important changes concern system of sub-state finance and taxation. It is especially global financial and economic crisis that caused lot of changes until now less systematically evaluated. Local and regional governments faced sudden financial scarcity and were forced to adopt quickly. In many case they were willing or they have been forced to participate in nation-wide measures against crisis. There emerged lot of strategies and measures that were more or less successful. In more cases it has influenced basic framework of central-local relations. Lessons learned from this period can be very inspirational. Governance is also entering into extensive interactions with various types of local and regional planning. It is important to know to which extent governance expansion is changing sometimes routine and expert based planning in favour of more inclusive, participative and stakeholders based approaches. Besides traditional land-use based and physical planning there emerged project based and strategic planning. Many actors/stakeholders are attracted to co-operate in planning preparation in order to balance various interests. We should pay attention also to implementation and outcomes of such modified planning. Lot of attention requires governance in mixed and near/across border territories. There is strong need but uneasy task to accommodate differences, mitigate conflicts, and satisfy diverse needs in order to achieve well-working coexistence. Many regions and cities face challenges how to manage their territories and distribute public services in such very differentiated environment. The most complicated it is in deeply divided and mixed territories (by ethnicity, religion). Nevertheless we expect to discuss various hopeful cases of governance in complicated local and regional setting. Very fruitful can be presentation of research focusing on inter-municipal co-operation as well as international (cross-border) co-operation of cities and regions.
Timeslots: 4
Abstract:
Public sector reorganizations and public administration reforms are almost permanent in many parts of the world. They change nature of central-local relations, are accompanied with transfers of power and resources. They are in many cases innovative, generate new framework for action, institutional environment, introduce new managerial techniques and set new requirements. Many new developments concerns public services delivery, often in partnerships with private and non-governmental sectors. These reforms can be evaluated from many important standpoints. More comparative contributions could improve our understanding of current directions in reforms all around the world. Important changes concern system of sub-state finance and taxation. It is especially global financial and economic crisis that caused lot of changes until now less systematically evaluated. Local and regional governments faced sudden financial scarcity and were forced to adopt quickly. In many case they were willing or they have been forced to participate in nation-wide measures against crisis. There emerged lot of strategies and measures that were more or less successful. In more cases it has influenced basic framework of central-local relations. Lessons learned from this period can be very inspirational. Governance is also entering into extensive interactions with various types of local and regional planning. It is important to know to which extent governance expansion is changing sometimes routine and expert based planning in favour of more inclusive, participative and stakeholders based approaches. Besides traditional land-use based and physical planning there emerged project based and strategic planning. Many actors/stakeholders are attracted to co-operate in planning preparation in order to balance various interests. We should pay attention also to implementation and outcomes of such modified planning. Lot of attention requires governance in mixed and near/across border territories. There is strong need but uneasy task to accommodate differences, mitigate conflicts, and satisfy diverse needs in order to achieve well-working coexistence. Many regions and cities face challenges how to manage their territories and distribute public services in such very differentiated environment. The most complicated it is in deeply divided and mixed territories (by ethnicity, religion). Nevertheless we expect to discuss various hopeful cases of governance in complicated local and regional setting. Very fruitful can be presentation of research focusing on inter-municipal co-operation as well as international (cross-border) co-operation of cities and regions.
Timeslots: 4
Session: Governing development in regions, cities and rural communities
Chair(s): Andrew Ryder & Pushkar K. Pradhan
Abstract:
It is not only local or regional government that significantly influence development of their respective spatial units. It is widely debated who really governs regions, cities, or countryside today. Many powerful actors/stakeholders now have much direct access to managing sometimes public domain. The most complicated multi-actor and multi-layered structure and processes of governance developed in metropolitan regions. There emerged dense network of collaboration, which include more or less transparent corporations, agencies, forums, various specialised bodies. Governments collaborate focusing on various goals, including support of more narrowly perceived economic development as support of employment or business sector. Various forms of local and regional governance need deeper conceptual discussion from the development point of view.
Large, flagship projects are very frequent part of current urban and regional development. They are expressions of entrepreneurial spirit that also inspired governments. Their need, nature, design, financing is often result of complicated inter-sectoral collaboration. They are often accompanied with power asymmetry, conflicts, less general acceptance and lead to controversial outcomes from the point of view of local public. Their influence on international competitive position of cities is often exaggerated. These large projects provide lot of experiences in the field of public-private partnerships, consensus building, changing nature of urban/regional institutional environment, planning and development.
Urban and regional elites face quite contrasting situations in their development. There are successful and quickly growing cities and regions, but on the other hand many other of them face decline. One of quickly expanding hot issues in worlds-wide scale is - How to manage “shrinking cities/regions”? It has strong influence on governments e.g. in provision of housing, education, public services and infrastructure. Governments search for suitable policies and measures to cope with such “non-growth” situation. We can put into contrast what they are doing in different way - quickly growing cities in comparison to shrinking cities.
Rural environment, village life, small local governments, more traditional local economy - they are facing various kinds of pressure. Managing of rural development requires various kinds of intervention, assistance, internal mobilization, relations and motivation. We should review what is applied in search for successful governance in such rural environment. What local governments are doing, if they can? What are their main partners in development? Is there a capacity for efficient co-operation among rural local governments. What the priorities in current rural development and how they can be achieved.
Timeslots: 4
Abstract:
It is not only local or regional government that significantly influence development of their respective spatial units. It is widely debated who really governs regions, cities, or countryside today. Many powerful actors/stakeholders now have much direct access to managing sometimes public domain. The most complicated multi-actor and multi-layered structure and processes of governance developed in metropolitan regions. There emerged dense network of collaboration, which include more or less transparent corporations, agencies, forums, various specialised bodies. Governments collaborate focusing on various goals, including support of more narrowly perceived economic development as support of employment or business sector. Various forms of local and regional governance need deeper conceptual discussion from the development point of view.
Large, flagship projects are very frequent part of current urban and regional development. They are expressions of entrepreneurial spirit that also inspired governments. Their need, nature, design, financing is often result of complicated inter-sectoral collaboration. They are often accompanied with power asymmetry, conflicts, less general acceptance and lead to controversial outcomes from the point of view of local public. Their influence on international competitive position of cities is often exaggerated. These large projects provide lot of experiences in the field of public-private partnerships, consensus building, changing nature of urban/regional institutional environment, planning and development.
Urban and regional elites face quite contrasting situations in their development. There are successful and quickly growing cities and regions, but on the other hand many other of them face decline. One of quickly expanding hot issues in worlds-wide scale is - How to manage “shrinking cities/regions”? It has strong influence on governments e.g. in provision of housing, education, public services and infrastructure. Governments search for suitable policies and measures to cope with such “non-growth” situation. We can put into contrast what they are doing in different way - quickly growing cities in comparison to shrinking cities.
Rural environment, village life, small local governments, more traditional local economy - they are facing various kinds of pressure. Managing of rural development requires various kinds of intervention, assistance, internal mobilization, relations and motivation. We should review what is applied in search for successful governance in such rural environment. What local governments are doing, if they can? What are their main partners in development? Is there a capacity for efficient co-operation among rural local governments. What the priorities in current rural development and how they can be achieved.
Timeslots: 4