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THEORISING GOVERNANCE': POSTGRADUATE AND EARLY CAREER SYMPOSIUM
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW, FRIDAY 12TH JUNE 2009
Governance has gained increasing conceptual currency across the social
sciences. It captures important changes in the way in which society is
governed, especially how networks and hierarchies have been structured
and restructured in recent decades. Yet it also reflects something more
fundamental. Namely, the long standing theoretical interest of the
academic commnity in issues relating to power and rule in contemporary
society. Traditionally, this has manifested itself in concerns about
'who' has power and 'what' are its effects; however more recently the
focus has broadened out to consider 'how' power is exercised and its
underpinning discourses.
At the most general level governance refers to the strategies, tactics,
procedures and processes deployed in order to control, shape, regulate
or exercise authority over others at a variety of scales ranging from
the micro to the macro level. It involves actors both within and beyond
the state, and more importantly perhaps, affords a key role to subjects
in their own self-government, as recent UK policy initiatives such as
the Respect Agenda, Sustainable Communities and Welfare-to-Work
illuminate only too clearly. It is however an inherently contested
concept. Exploring competing theories of governance and the strengths
and limitations they offer for understanding empirical data is therefore
the key focus of this symposium.
Key themes for discussion include:
- Different theoretical approaches to exploring and critiquing
developments in governance
- The limits of theory in analysing empirical data and the challenges
this poses for research
- Critical insights and implications for the policy process
Confirmed plenary speaker:
John Flint, Professor of Housing and Urban Governance
Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam
University
This event is bring funded by the Urban Studies journal. Attendance is
free and both lunch and tea/coffee will be provided.
Offers of workshop paper are invited (title plus an abstract of 200
words) and should be sent to:
Kim McKee ([log in to unmask]), Department of Geographical & Earth
Sciences, University of Glasgow
OFFERS OF PAPERS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY APRIL 10TH 2009
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