Theoretical multiplicity for the governance of transitions. The energy producing greenhouse case

Transition management, as a theory of directing structural societal changes towards sustainable system innovations, has become a major topic in scientific research over the last years. In the Netherlands, the concept of transition management was adopted by several governmental agencies as one of the leading principles for steering sustainable development. In this paper we focus on the governance of transitions. The question is if and how transitions towards sustainability can be steered, governed or managed, in particular by governmental actors. We suggest an approach of theoretical multiplicity, arguing that multiple theories will be needed simultaneously for dealing with the complex societal sustainability issues. Therefore, we address the governance question by theoretically comparing transition management theory to a number of related theories on societal change and intervention, such as multi-actor collaboration, network governance, policy agenda setting and adaptive governance. We argue that these related theories put the managerial assumptions of transition management into perspective, by adding other steering roles and leadership mechanisms to the picture. We will illustrate the advantages of theoretical multiplicity by analysing the case of the greenhouse as a source of energy. The energy producing greenhouse can be considered a revolutionary technology, with the potential of turning the greenhouse horticultural sector from a mass energy consumer into a sustainable energy user and producer

Governance of regional innovations towards sustainability

This paper addresses the governance of regional innovations towards sustainability. From the literature it is clear that variety is a major source of innovations: innovations come into being in interplay between a variety of public and private actors who bring with them a large variety of identities, values, realities and practices. In this context, traditional concepts of governance such as planning and control, formalized processes and top–down steering are less appropriate. Yet some stability and structures are needed to create common understandings and mutual trust

Trage vragen voor natuur- en landschapsbeleid

Katrien Vermeer (Wageningen Universiteit) benoemt enkele vertragende factoren bij beleidsprocessen, dus ook bij natuur en landschap. Alleerst is er de 'hijgerigheid' die het gevolg is van een veranderende relatie tussen overheid, politiek en maatschappij. De politieke partijen verliezen hun agenda-vormende macht. Daarvoor in de plaats komen one-issue partijen, individuele burgers of populistische politici met de media als belangrijke katalysator. Op veel plekken leidt dat bij de overheid tot hijgerig beleid, meegolvend op de oneliners en tijdelijke hypes. Maar ook het sneller inschakelen van de rechter, de juridisering, is een factor. Tot slot wordt melding gemaakt van de schaarse momenten, waarin actoren met elkaar echt de plek der moeite betreden, conflicten benoemen en wederzijds begrip en vertrouwen behouden. Termeer benoemt het geheel als 'trage kennis

Houd oog voor verhaal achter de cijfers

Controle vraagt om cijfers, maar complexe vraagstukken zijn moeilijk in cijfers te vangen. Het is daarom vooral belangrijk dat we in het vizier houden waar de cijfers over gaan, en durven te leren van fouten, zegt bestuurskundige Katrien Termee

Disentangling scale approaches in governance research: comparing monocentric, multilevel, and adaptive governance

The question of how to govern the multiscale problems in today’s network society is an important topic in the fields of public administration, political sciences, and environmental sciences. How scales are defined, studied, and dealt with varies substantially within and across these fields. This paper aims to reduce the existing conceptual confusion regarding scales by disentangling three representative approaches that address both governance and scaling: monocentric governance, multilevel governance, and adaptive governance. It does so by analyzing the differences in (1) underlying views on governing, (2) assumptions about scales, (3) dominant problem definitions regarding scales, and (4) preferred responses for dealing with multiple scales. Finally, this paper identifies research opportunities within and across these approaches

Institutional governance barriers for the development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies

Abstract In this paper we summarise the main social barriers to adaptation presented in climate literature – the inherent uncertainty of climate change, fragmentation, institutional voids, short term horizon of politicians and policies, and the motives and willingness to start adapting. We have linked these topics to theories in public administration to explore if there is interesting overlap that could be beneficial for our understanding of institutional governance barriers for developing and implementing adaptation strategies. We conclude that there are strong interdependencies between what has been signalled in adaptation literature as barriers to adaptation and what has been theorised in public administration literature. However, barriers in the development of adaptation have been hardly discussed in climate adaptation literature. Therefore we argue that in order to understand factors that stagnate the development and implementation of adaptation policy strategies, existing theories of public administration could prove very valuable. Keywords; barriers; adaptation strategies; institutions; governance

Zelfsturing en zelfregulering in de Noordelijke Friese Wouden : condities en ontwerpprincipes

In deze notitie wordt ingegaan op hoe zelfsturing en zelfregulering te bezien zijn als vormen van sturing, hoe in de bestuurskundige en juridische literatuur over voor- en nadelen gedacht wordt en wordt behandeld onder welke condities zelfsturing wel of niet kan functioneren en welke algemene principes er zijn om tot zelfsturing te komen. Deze informatie wordt gekoppeld aan wat er anno 2008 aan zelfsturingsarrangementen bestaat in het gebied Noordelijke Friese Wouden. Doel hiervan is om vanuit de bestuurskundige en juridische literatuur het denken over nieuwe sturingsarrangementen in de Noordelijke Friese Wouden te ondersteunen