Governance Significance for Contemporary Political Sociology - Essay Example

What do you Understand by the Term Governance and What is its Significance for Contemporary Political Sociology The issue of the of government transferring into an incredibly different area of governance, is one which is highly speculated and opinionated on in today's world, as it is one of the most major causes of controversy and concern; there is an almost opposite meaning of the two terms of 'government' and 'governance', and in order for any type of personal or public stance to be taken on this issue at all, once must first learn about and understand these differences. As well, there are certain implications for a political sociology of the state, of which are also key and completely crucial to this particular overall discussion and so they too must be discussed until fully understood. In order to gain a proper and knowledgeable understanding or viewpoint on this subject matter overall, we must fully understand about each and every issue that is related within; therefore all of the previously discussed must be thoroughly explored, as well as any and all other key related issues that relate to this matter. There are basically two major questions of which will have the most validity and discussion in this matter, and they are: 1. What is the difference between government and governance 2. What are the implications for a political sociology of the state By thoroughly addressing and exploring these two questions, we will be able to end up with an incredibly more knowledgeable and understanding viewpoint on this, the subject matter at hand. This is what will be dissertated in the following. What is the Difference Between Government and Governance There is a remarkably large difference between the terms of government and governance: a government is a body that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws within a civil, corporate, religious, academic, or other organization or group, and in its broadest sense to 'govern' means to basically administer or supervise; governance, on the other hand, is a term which refers to the processes and systems by which a particular organization or society operates. It is basically the government itself that is used to administer the governance, and so governance basically conveys the administrative and process-oriented elements of governing rather that its more antagonistic ones; furthermore, such an argument in regards to for instance the suggestion that there should be a clear distinction between the concepts of governance and politics, truly then continues to assume that there is a possibility of the traditional separation between politics and administration, however it should be known that in all reality, this specific distinction is sometimes then governed questioned in more contemporary governance practice and theory. (Cerny, P. What's Next for the State In E. Kofman and G. Youngs (eds) Globalization: Theory and Practice (2nd Edition). 2003: pp.156). A form of government is basically a rather colloquial term which refers to that of the set of political institutions by which a state is organized in order to be able to exert its powers over a particular political community. The traditional and most often used divisions between governments are some form of dichotomy (such as democracy vs. dictatorship in Moore, 1958) and not a full typology. Although it would be useful to have an authoritative typology (such as by updating the politics of Aristotle), most scholars prefer to study and compare two or three regime types. An exception would be those experts in comparative electoral systems. They use large databases and math to see which form of electoral system will produce the most stable, enduring and representative regime. (i.e. Taagepera and Matthew Shugart, 1989). In a more deep regards to this issue, modernization and constitutional reform are truly certain and specific manifestations of changes in regards to ideas and practices that are wider than that of the UK's particular concerns for instance, as the emergence of governance rather than government and interest in the connections between 'civic-ness' and the effectiveness of certain institutions and policy-making. "It is from these more general developments and ideas that particular reforms inherit their claim to be egalitarian, participatory and inclusive." (Larner, W. and Walters, W. Global Governmentality: Governing International Spaces. 2004: pp.129). Therefore, if we are to take an even closer look at the differences between the two terms, we can see that the topic of governance is one which is truly at the cutting edge in regards to a number of different cognate disciplines, and this is speaking not only about the UK in particular but truly the world over. The notion is understandably rather hard to pin down, however it does seem basically as though it has been accepted that a number of different and separate forces have converged so as to change the ways and in fact the actual nature of what it means to govern. "Forces such as globalization (in disputed ways), Europeanization, devolution, pressures on the traditional welfare state, and new political cultures in which traditional methods of delivering the services of the welfare state are no longer regarded as 'empowering'. It is also accepted that there is a discernible difference between government and governance. This is not to say that governance is displacing government; merely that the two forms of activity coexist." (Rose, N. Powers of Freedom: Reframing Political Thought. 2004: pp.64). Basically then governance is rather typically defined as being contrasted in regards to what is thought of it as the more traditional pattern of public power, whereas quite conversely, analysts of governance then tend to draw upon that of a Foucauldian understanding of the notion of power as being dispersed and relational, and thus those with this point of view tend to typically argue that "governance arises from a lack of capacity on the part of governments, acting alone, to effect desired changes. Instead, public power manifests itself through increasingly blurred boundaries between different tiers of government, the public and private, and between the state and civil society." (Barry, A. Barry, A. Political Machines: Governing a Technological Society. 2001: pp.75). The actual concept of governance is truly not new, and in fact it is as old as actual human civilization. However it is critical to realize the fact that governance can be used in various different contexts, such as that of corporate governance, international governance, national governance, and local governance. (Dean, M. Governmentality: Power and Rule in Modern Society. 1999: pp.55). Thus, due to the fact that governance is the process of decision-making and as well the process by which certain and specific decisions are implemented, we then can come to the conclusion that an analysis of governance thus focuses on that of the formal and informal issues that are involved here, as well as the actors that are involved in this decision-making process, and furthermore, it is essential to know that although the terms governance and government are incredibly different, government itself is actually one of the prime actors in governance, and then all of the other actors that are involved here will vary depending on that of the level of government that is actually under discussion. (Heere, Wybo P. From Government to Governance: The Growing Impact of Non-State Actors on the International and European Legal System. 2004: pp.125). Once the bad forms of governance are taken out, it is quite easy to see how good governance is able to create a strong and healthy future for an organization, and it works by basically steering towards a specific vision and then making sure that the appropriate day-to-day management is always lined up with the organization's particular goals. It is absolutely critically important to realize and make sure that all of the proper and necessary arrangements are in place, and that as well there is an appropriate and acceptable community engagement and that partnership working on issues of governance and service delivery in order to improve the quality of life for everything and one involved. Good and proper governance is about leadership, and as well about the ensuring that an organization is as effectively and properly run as possible. To be more formal, governance includes that of the following: creating a clear, shared vision; formulating plans and policies to bring about the organization's objectives; maintaining a sense of urgency about the vision; recruiting and supervising the Chief Executive Officer; ensuring compliance with policy and the law; and keeping within budget. All of these factors are incredibly important and significant in their own separate way, and yet they all have to be equally examined and taken into consideration. One term that is spoken of a lot in regards to governance is that of delegation, and good governance can truly not be if there is not proper delegation; in a smaller organization it is basically almost inevitable in every case that board members will tend to be involved in doing the actual work on top of what they are expected to do typically, which is the making of decisions and the monitoring of work. (Kooiman, J. Governing as Governance. 2003: pp.45). As well, many times with organizations the process of delegation can be rather confusing, and the making and forming of boundaries can often times be one of the most difficult parts of this process overall. Thus, good governance clearly and quite obviously depends on several key things, such as transparency, accountability, and equality, and this is in regards to certain ways that are responsive to the actual needs of the people involved, and good governance is also composed of the mechanisms, processes and institutions that are necessary here. What are the Implications for a Political Sociology of the State Basically, in order to be able to answer this question properly, there are various different inner issues that need to be looked at and examined. There are actually many various different factors here that could be considered as being implications for a political sociology of the state, and in order to be able to understand any of these implications, we must first understand the concept of political sociology in general. Basically, political sociology is the study of power and the intersection of such components as personality, social structure, and politics; the field of political sociology looks seriously at how major social trends, for instance, can affect the political process itself, as well as how various forces work together in order to be able to change political policies. (Larner, W. & Walters, W. Global Governmentality: Governing International Spaces. 2004: pp.245). Furthermore, there are basically four different areas of political sociology, and they are: the social-political formation of the modern state; how social inequality between groups (class, race, gender, etc.) influences politics; how public personalities, social movements and trends outside of the formal institutions of political power affects politics; and power relationships within and between social groups (eg. families, workplaces, bureaucracy, media, etc.). As well, the field itself also looks at issues such as how major trends can influence politics and the political process itself, as well as the exploration as to the three most major theoretical frameworks that are included here. The three are: pluralism, elite or managerial theory, and class analysis, which overlaps the Marxist analysis. (Larner, W. & Walters, W. Global Governmentality: Governing International Spaces. 2004: pp.306). Each of these theoretical frameworks has its own separate meanings and factors that are involved: with the pluralism framework, here politics are seen primarily as a contest among competing interest groups; elite managerial theory is sometimes called a state-centered approach, as it explains what the state does by looking at the basic constraints that are evident from organizational structure, and so on; and finally, social class theory analysis emphasizes that of the political power of capital elites, and the power structure approach which is in relation to this as well as the structuralist approach (the two approaches that the social class theory analysis is broken into), the power structure focuses on 'Who Rules' and its most well-known representative is that of G. William Domhoff, while the structuralist approach emphasizes that of how the very way a capitalist economy operates only allows and encourages the state to do some specific things. (Scholte, J. A. Globalization: A Critical Introduction. 2000: pp.136). Policy debates typically centers around that of the role of markets versus the role of governments. But this is a misleading distinction. Human society always has governance. Private organizations such as corporations and clubs have management, rules, and financial administration similar in function to those of government. The difference is that private governance is voluntary, while state-based government is coercively imposed on the people within some jurisdiction. So a central question is not whether the market or the government can best accomplish some task, but whether the governance shall be voluntary or coercive. (Barry, A. Political Machines: Governing a Technological Society. 2001: pp.241). Overall, from this we are able to basically conclude several different and yet equally important factors; especially that in regards to the significance of the term governance on contemporary political sociology and how critically important this is overall. As well we can see that there are effective forms of governance just as there are non-effective forms of governance, and so we can see how each affects the world over, as well as how each affects the smaller, more subtle areas and forums. We know from this that governance in its widest sense refers to how any organization, including a nation, run, and as well it includes all of the processes, systems, and controls that are used to safeguard and grow assets. Furthermore, we can conclude the fact that when applied to certain organizations that operate commercially, the term governance it is then often termed as being 'corporate governance', and it is important to realize in this overall matter that the principles of governance truly apply to any organization, regardless of its size or stature, and that this is a fact which is crucial to be known, because then we see how governance truly affects every business, company, and organization. The making, application and enforcement of international law are no longer confined to national states. A rapidly growing number of non-state actors also play a role. These actors are rather heterogeneous. Their role, representativeness and thus legitimacy greatly differ. However, they have in common that they challenge basic assumptions on which international law and international relations have been based. Truly, all of these specific and particular challenges include the gradual replacement of traditional diplomatic relations by networks of national government officials interacting with one another across borders. These government networks are in turn often embedded in larger 'global policy networks' that involve a wide variety of non-state actors - NGOs, corporations, individual experts, and intergovernmental organizations. New forms of accountability for these non-state actors are also emerging. Furthermore, in order to be able to reach proper and intelligent solutions for the matters and issues that are problematic in this regards, we must truly be able to be as informed and as knowledgeable on the subject matter overall as possible, so that we can thus come together and reach strategic and positive conclusions in regards to what can be done in this situation in order to better it. References Barry, A. (2001). Political Machines: Governing a Technological Society. London: The Athlone Press. Cerny, P. (2003). What's Next for the State In E. Kofman and G. Youngs (eds) Globalization: Theory and Practice (2nd Edition). London: Continuum. Dean, M. (1999). Governmentality: Power and Rule in Modern Society. London: Sage. Heere, Wybo P. (2004). From Government to Governance: The Growing Impact of Non- State Actors on the International and European Legal System. The Netherlands: T.M.C. Asser Instituut. Kooiman, J. (2003). Governing as Governance. London: Sage. Larner, W. & Walters, W. (2004). Global Governmentality: Governing International Spaces. London: Routledge. Powers of Freedom: Reframing Political Thought. Cambridge University Press. Raadschelders, Jos C. N. (2006). Government: A Public Administration Perspective. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Rose, N. 1999: Powers of Freedom: Reframing Political Thought. Cambridge University Press. Rosenau, J. N. (2004). Governance Without Government: Order and Change in World Politics. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Scholte, J. A. (2000). Globalization: A Critical Introduction. Palgrave. Shimomura, Y. (2003). The Role of Governance in Asia. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Whincop, M. J. (2005). Corporate Governance in Government Corporations. UK: Ashgate Publishing. Wikipedia. (2007). Form of Government. Retrieved January 17, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forms_of_government Read More