Polycentrism

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Academic and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. How does governing work today? How does society (mis)handle pressing challenges such as armed violence, cultural difference, ecological degradation, economic restructuring, geopolitical shifts, global pandemics, migration flows, and technological change in ways that are (not) democratic, effective, fair, peaceful, and sustainable? This volume addresses these key questions with reference to the theme of 'polycentrism', i.e. the idea that contemporary governing is dispersed, fluctuating, messy, elusive, and headless. Chapters develop this notion of polycentrism from the perspectives of a broad spectrum of academic disciplines and theoretical approaches, offering comprehensive coverage of exciting new thinking about how today's world is (mis)ruled. The book identifies four paradigms of knowledge about polycentric governing - organizational, legal, relational, and structural - and pursues conversations across the divides that normally keep these approaches within separate research communities. These exceptional inter-paradigm exchanges focus particularly on issues of techniques (how governing is done), power (what forces drive governing), and legitimacy (whether governing is rightful). Comparisons between the multiple perspectives on polycentric governing highlight, and help to clarify, the distinctive emphases, potentials, and limitations of each approach. In addition, various combinations of the different theories generate promising novel avenues of thought about polycentrism. The book will allow readers to develop and refine their own understandings of governing today and hence to become more empowered political subjects.

Frank Gadinger is a Senior Researcher and Research Group Leader at the Centre for Global Cooperation Research, University of Duisburg-Essen. His main research interests lie in international practice theory, political narratives, critical security studies, visual global politics, (de-)legitimation in world politics, polycentric governing, and the global rise of populism. Jan Aart Scholte is Professor of Global Transformations and Governance Challenges at Leiden University, and Co-Director of the Centre for Global Cooperation Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen. His research covers polycentric governing, globalization, global governance, civil society in global politics, global democracy, legitimacy beyond the state, and internet governance.