2.2: Network Governance: Summary of reading material and lectures
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Network Governance (ESSBBC2010)
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Colleges blok 2.2
Lecture 1
Networks governance is about dealing with wicked problems in networks in the physical and
social domains.
- For example in Amsterdam: rooms are rented to tourists (airbnb), leading to less
available apartments and driving up the prices.
What makes problems wicked?
- The technological complexity?
- The presence of various actors with various interests and views?
- The scale of the operation and the large amount of money involved?
- The malicious intentions of media looking for issues to report on?
→ Mainly the social complexity is important in the wickedness of problems (2nd point)
It’s not always the scale that complicates issues.
For example mr. de Groot
- In his 60s
- Dementia
- He needs care: his network consists of caretakers such as the hospital, the
municipality, neighbours, pharmasist, etc.
- He’s also a psychiatric patient, so: doctors, humanitas housing, etc.
- But also drinks, smokes, borrows money to gamble
- Wicked problem: can we make mr. de Groot as happy as possible → all his
caretakers need to collaborate → network management.
- Coordinating activities of all actors involved in a network.
Wicked problems: not complicated, but complex:
1. Many actors and conflicting interests and strategies
→ strategic complexity.
2. Many ideas on the problem and the solutions and conflicts over facts, numbers and
knowledge
→ substantive complexity
3. Various governments, rules and institutions
→ institutional complexity.
Networks
- Various actors involved in dealing with (wicked) public problems and complex public
services.
Conclusion
, - Since wicked problems are characterized by a network of actors involved, actors that
can’t be simply ignored or removed, dealing with wicked problems requires dealing
with networks.
- How to do this?
Mission of this course
Government operates in networks. This requires a shift from traditional hierarchical steering
to governance.
What are networks about and how can they be governed?
Logic of the book:
Content, process and institutions of networks structured obv:
- Analysis
- Management
- Normative questions (evaluation, democracy and accountability)
Lectures
1. Interdependencies
2. Perceptions in networks
3. Processes in networks
4. Institutions and networks
5. Performance of networks (and assessment)
6. Managing networks
Exam
- Empirical examples. The case from the tutorial groups may be used.
- 4 open questions (a, b, c, etc.)
- Knowledge
- Application
- Insight
- Example exam on canvas
- Book, lectures and tutorial groups
Networks and interdependencies
Wicked problems are complex because many parties are involved.
- What would be a good way to deal with complexities of networks?
1. Reduce complexities by reducing the number of actors.
2. Politicians should take clear and firm decisions to give direction to networks.
3. Do research in order to reduce uncertainties / complexities. For example, more
research into climate change.
4. Enter into dialogue with stakeholders and other governments in order to deal with
these problems.
→ All 4 might be an option, it depends on the situation. In general, reducing actors is not
possible (due to interdependencies). Politicians should always take clear decisions, but this
does not always solve the complexity of the problem. Research may be helpful, but it’s not
simply the technological aspect that makes problems wicked, so will research solve the
problem?
1
, → Dialogue is important between stakeholders.
Video about Brexit: what does this video tell you about dependencies?
- Eu eist een grote som geld van GB, GB wil minder betalen.
- Dit conflict kan onderhandelingen bij voorbaat compliceren.
- Sequential: eerst handel ondertekenen, dan geld
- Burgers: GB maakt alleen een aanbod voor burgers als dit wederzijds is, maar
burgers wachten af met wat er gaat gebeuren.
- Als er geen overeenkomst is binnen 2 jaar krijgt GB misschien geen deal.
Bespreking video
- One actor trying to get out of the network (Brexit → GB out of EU)
- The process of ‘getting out’ can be seen as wicked problem as well.
- Many involved actors with various perceptions of how brexit should proceed.
Wicked problems imply networks of actors that are interdependent. These actors can’t solve
problems alone (although they may think they can). → interdependencies
The case of the Essenburgpark (2011-now)
- Local wicked problem in Rotterdam, near central station.
- Water management problem: the water from the sewage came in the singel (sloot),
killing fish and causing smells. The people living around went to the “Waterboard”
and told them to fix it → problem: area was too low, had to be heightened which
would be very expensive.
- Solution: park around the singel to make a water retention area, so the municipality
joined. Collaboration with governmental organisations → network governance.
- Network in this case: residents, volunteers, Dijkgraaf Hans Oosten (waterschappen),
municipality, etc.
Governance networks
Patterns of social relations between public, private and societal actors involved in dealing
with a problem, policy or public service.
What keeps them together?
→ dependencies!
What makes you dependent?
The need of each other's resources (so an actor needs a resource controlled by another
actor):
- Money
- Production means (such as land, machinery, personnel)
- Competences / authorities (if you want to realise a park, the municipality needs to
decide if you can use the area in such a way).
- Information
- Knowledge / expertise
- Legitimacy / support
- Relations
- Media access
2
, Example: wipwap. Er kan alleen met een wipwap gespeeld worden als je het samen doet.
Belangrijk: which actor has which resources that are needed to solve the problem. In the
Essenburgpark case:
- Waterboard: knowledge / expertise (about water management), authority (they are
responsible for water management).
- Authority
- Budget
- Production means
- Knowledge
- Municipality: financial resources (subsidies, as it - likely - won’t be funded by the
residents), authority (bestemmingsplan, permission to use the land for a park).
- Legal means
- Property rights
- Subsidies
- Residents: legitimacy and support, local information about the problem (for example,
they know about the smell, the waterboard doesn’t).
- Legitimacy
- Media access
- Organisation power
- Volunteer organisation “de pluktuin”: production means (volunteers will provide
upkeep for the park), support
Dependencies (important)
Scharpf, 1976
Replaceability of the Replaceability of the
resource (high) resource (low)
Importance of resource Moderate dependency High dependency
(high)
Importance of resource Low dependency Moderate dependency
(low)
- Importance: how critical for success is the resource?
- Replaceability: is there a way to go around, or to find a substitute?
- This means: lots of actors are involved, but not all are equally important (who controls
what resource?)
Who are crucial actors?
Crucial actors
- They possess resources that are important and hard to replace.
What is their position in the network?
- They can invest or withdraw their resources (therefore blocking the solution or
ensuring it can be done)
3
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