Democratic performance in collaborations, hybrid governance and networks

1
Democratic performance in collaborations, hybrid
governance and networks

• Chris Skelcher, Helen Sullivan, Michael Farrelly,
  
• and Stephen Jeffares - ASPA/EGPA 5TAD, June 2009

2
Two dynamics

• Alternatives to representative government
• Engagement of citizens and others in governmental
  process
• A paradox?
• What is the democratic performance of
  collaborations, participative and other forms of
  third party governance

3
Democratic performance

• How institutional hardware and software embody
  and express basic conditions of democracy
• Democracy is a framework and a performance
• Core conditions
• Legitimacy
• Consent
• Accountability

4
Research design

• Comparative
• Multi-instrument
• Governance Assessment Tool
• Interviews
• Q methodology
• Critical

5
F1 Theoretical relation between rep. democracy
and network governance

• Four conjectures
• Incompatibility
• Complementary
• Transitional
• Instrumental

6
F2 National democratic milieu moderated by
policy context impacts democratic performance

• Governance assessment tool criteria-based
  assessment of hardware against 3 conditions of
  democracy
• E.g. Migrant integration policy variation in
  discourse of migration/integration
• C.f neighbourhood revitalisation policy common
  discourse

7
F3 Reshapes but not necessarily marginalise
elected politicians

• Meta-governors
• Executive decision-takers
• Representatives
• National democratic milieu again

8
F4 Greater autonomy of public managers

• Viewpoints from Q study
• Progressives Networks develop new forms of
  democracy and do not threaten local democracy
• Traditionalists Representative government should
  be main way of making decisions
• Netherlands slightly more oriented toward latter

9
F5 Public managers should have greater
understanding of democratic principles in
institutional design

• England democratic norms dismantled
• Denmark unified, clearer view
• Netherlands in transition

10
Conclusions

• The literature hides the variation across
  nations/policy sectors
• The research designs are reliant on traditional
  methods
• Opportunity for greater innovation