11
2 Theorizing Governability – The Interactive Governance Perspective
takes place. See for example the journals Governance, Global Governance , and
Public Management Review.
Interactive Governance
In line with other approaches, the interactive governance perspective applied here
proceeds from the assumption that societies are governed by a combination of
efforts (see Tor fi ng et al. 2012 for a related conception of interactive governance).
These governing mixes respond to ever growing diversity, dynamics and complexity,
as well as major concerns such as poverty and climate change. The main sources for
discussions of ‘governance’, as conceptualized in this book, are, ‘Governing as
Governance’ (Kooiman 2003 ) , and its application in fi sheries (Kooiman et al. 1999 ;
Bavinck et al. 2005 ; Kooiman et al. 2005 ) .
Governance is the aggregate of governing activities carried out by societal actors
in response to public needs and visions. It is generally organized and routine, rarely
harmonious but typically interactive. Kooiman and Bavinck ( 2005 , 17) thus de fi ne
interactive governance as:
The whole of interactions taken to solve societal problems and to create societal opportunities,
including the formulation and application of principles guiding those interactions and care for
institutions that enable them.
The emphasis on interactions constitutes the main innovation of this approach.
Governing interactions are exchanges between actors that contribute to the tackling
of societal problems and opportunities. The adjective ‘societal’ refers to everything
that has a common or public dimension; it stands opposed to ‘private’ activities. The
de fi nition includes a reference to institutions and principles, considered vital for any
governance interaction. Our supposition is also that governance arrangements lacking a normative basis ultimately suffer from ineffectiveness and illegitimacy.
The interactive perspective on governance proposes that society is comprised of
a large number of governing actors, who are constrained or enabled by their surroundings. Actors are any social unit possessing agency or power of action. This
includes individuals, associations, fi rms, governmental agencies and international
bodies. The surroundings are captured by the concept of structure. Structure refers
to the social frameworks within which actors operate, including culture, law, politics and economics, but also natural conditions such as geography and ecosystems.
According to sociological reasoning, actors are continuously making changes to
these structures while at the same time being subjected to their in fl uence (Berger
and Luckmann 1966 ; Giddens 1984 ) . The analysis of governance therefore requires
that we pay attention to both of these dimensions.
Governance is and can be based on a broad range of principles, none of which
have an inherent primacy over another. Our approach to governance does, however,
contain normative elements, chief among them the notion that ‘interacting’ is often
a more effective way of governance than ‘going it alone’. Broad societal participation
in governance is an expression of democracy and a desirable state of affairs.
2 Theorizing Governability – The Interactive Governance Perspective
takes place. See for example the journals Governance, Global Governance , and
Public Management Review.
Interactive Governance
In line with other approaches, the interactive governance perspective applied here
proceeds from the assumption that societies are governed by a combination of
efforts (see Tor fi ng et al. 2012 for a related conception of interactive governance).
These governing mixes respond to ever growing diversity, dynamics and complexity,
as well as major concerns such as poverty and climate change. The main sources for
discussions of ‘governance’, as conceptualized in this book, are, ‘Governing as
Governance’ (Kooiman 2003 ) , and its application in fi sheries (Kooiman et al. 1999 ;
Bavinck et al. 2005 ; Kooiman et al. 2005 ) .
Governance is the aggregate of governing activities carried out by societal actors
in response to public needs and visions. It is generally organized and routine, rarely
harmonious but typically interactive. Kooiman and Bavinck ( 2005 , 17) thus de fi ne
interactive governance as:
The whole of interactions taken to solve societal problems and to create societal opportunities,
including the formulation and application of principles guiding those interactions and care for
institutions that enable them.
The emphasis on interactions constitutes the main innovation of this approach.
Governing interactions are exchanges between actors that contribute to the tackling
of societal problems and opportunities. The adjective ‘societal’ refers to everything
that has a common or public dimension; it stands opposed to ‘private’ activities. The
de fi nition includes a reference to institutions and principles, considered vital for any
governance interaction. Our supposition is also that governance arrangements lacking a normative basis ultimately suffer from ineffectiveness and illegitimacy.
The interactive perspective on governance proposes that society is comprised of
a large number of governing actors, who are constrained or enabled by their surroundings. Actors are any social unit possessing agency or power of action. This
includes individuals, associations, fi rms, governmental agencies and international
bodies. The surroundings are captured by the concept of structure. Structure refers
to the social frameworks within which actors operate, including culture, law, politics and economics, but also natural conditions such as geography and ecosystems.
According to sociological reasoning, actors are continuously making changes to
these structures while at the same time being subjected to their in fl uence (Berger
and Luckmann 1966 ; Giddens 1984 ) . The analysis of governance therefore requires
that we pay attention to both of these dimensions.
Governance is and can be based on a broad range of principles, none of which
have an inherent primacy over another. Our approach to governance does, however,
contain normative elements, chief among them the notion that ‘interacting’ is often
a more effective way of governance than ‘going it alone’. Broad societal participation
in governance is an expression of democracy and a desirable state of affairs.