Edward Elgar Publishing Advanced Introduction to Governance (Elgar Advanced Introductions series)

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.  Jon Pierre and Guy Peters expertly guide the reader through governance - one of the most widely used terms in political science - and its differing interpretations, with comprehensive discussion of the key issues covering global as well as local level governance. A detailed look into what constitutes 'good governance', whether produced by a government or by more informal means, is also explored.  Key features include:   examination of what governance is, how it is created and the differing styles of governance how governance is becoming more collaborative between governments and the private sector an investigation into the governance process and outcomes, including topics such as bargaining, negotiation and the use of political power.  This insightful Advanced Introduction will be an excellent resource for both graduates and undergraduates studying governance and political science.  It will also be a useful guide for academics who are interested in governance and who need a concise introduction. Review ‘A fair commentary on this book is that it is wisdom distilled. If you want to grapple with governance and get a clear sense of its core, this is the book for you. If you want to understand some of its subtleties and complexities, this is also the book for you. These authors are the joint godfathers of governance. They are making you an offer you should not refuse.’ – Gerry Stoker, University of Southampton, UK 'With their typical clarity, Pierre and Peters manage to bring an enormous range of dispersed research together into a focused framework for analyzing governance--a framework that puts governance into perspective by illuminating its distinctive features and by making its relationship to government and governing crystal clear. The result is a highly readable account that will greatly enhance cross-national research.'- Christopher Ansell, University of California, Berkeley, US'This Advanced Introduction, authored by two internationally leading scholars in the field, provides a much needed, inspiring and reflected analysis of theories and concepts of governance. Based on innovative analytical distinctions, the book offers a highly accessible and encompassing approach to study one of the most important concepts in the public policy and public administration literature.'- Christoph Knill, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany About the Author Jon Pierre, Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of Government, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh, US