Network Theory in the Public Sector

Network Theory in the Public Sector
Author: Robyn Keast
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2013-10-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1135013241

Download Network Theory in the Public Sector Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Networks have been described in terms of metaphors, governance arrangements and structural or institutional arrangements. These different perspectives of networks come out of a variety of disciplines, including political science, public administration, urban affairs, social welfare, public management and organizational/sociological research. This wealth of research, while contributing to a deeper understanding of networks, presents a dilemma which is addressed by this book. That is the question of whether there is a theory of public networks that informs networks in their various forms, and is there a need for a new theory of networks? More importantly, is network research still relevant to practice? Does network theory improve the process of governance? Are different terms and/or approaches actually the same or different? What do these different approaches mean to theory? This book deeply explores and integrates existing network theory and related theories from a number of perspectives, levels and jurisdictions to develop a framework to guide network design, governance and management. The book focuses on the important issue of network performance, looking at networks as bounded and consciously arranged; the actors who participate in them design the relationships among a bounded set of individual organizations to purse common objectives. Finally, the chapters tease out the variety of governance modes or regimes that intersect with network governance. This book offers a comprehensive, integrative, interdisciplinary approach that enables specialists, practitioners and administrators across a wide array of interests and fields to formulate and work on problems using a common language, analytical framework and theoretical basis.

Contemporary Applications of Actor Network Theory

Contemporary Applications of Actor Network Theory
Author: Idongesit Williams
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2020-09-25
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9811570663

Download Contemporary Applications of Actor Network Theory Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book provides empirically driven discussions and investigations in the relevance of Actor Network Theory (ANT) and its theoretical concepts. As our civilization evolves from a human to a technologically driven society, new socio-technical network of actors – in society, industry and government are emerging by the day. These networks of actors collaborate to produce contemporary goods and services; handle production processes; manage risks; develop social and commercial networks; develop policies; manage complexities; and create a new way of life. This book provides unique conceptual tools needed to analyze such processes, highlighting the effectiveness of ANT in fostering collaborations between governments, organizations and society.

Social Interaction And Organisational Change, Aston Perspectives On Innovation Networks

Social Interaction And Organisational Change, Aston Perspectives On Innovation Networks
Author: Steve Conway
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2001-04-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1783261838

Download Social Interaction And Organisational Change, Aston Perspectives On Innovation Networks Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book provides a detailed, multi-disciplinary analysis of innovation networks in a variety of organisational settings. All the contributors are employed at Aston Business School, which is one of the UK's foremost institutions in terms of both teaching and research. The book illustrates the way in which innovation networks are formed and sustained in a variety of organisational settings: the public sector, public-private collaboration, national policy level, inter-organisational credit links, as well as the more traditional focus on manufacturing firms. The strength of the network approach is that it encourages detailed analyses of the dyadic links which must be mobilised in the innovation process. At the same time, networks provide a framework for exploring the multiple sources and pluralistic patterns of communication typical of innovatory activity. Therefore, in contrast to much of the innovation network research undertaken in recent years, the focus of this book is as much on notions of “network as method” as on “network as phenomenon”.

Collaborative Innovation in the Public Sector

Collaborative Innovation in the Public Sector
Author: Jacob Torfing
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2016
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 162616360X

Download Collaborative Innovation in the Public Sector Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Public sector innovation is important because the pressures of growing expectations from citizens, budget crunches, and a surge of complex governance problems cannot be solved by standard government solutions or increased funding. In order to innovate, government increasingly needs to collaborate with networks of partners across agency boundaries and especially with the nonprofit and private sectors to find new solutions. This interaction within a network can enhance creative and effective governance solutions. In this book, Jacob Torfing closely examines the link between network-based collaborative governance and innovation, proposes a framework for the study of collaborative innovation, and discusses this approach in light of theoretical insights from other disciplines and from examples of public innovation drawn from the United States, Europe, and Australia. This book will move scholars closer to being able to develop a theory of collaborative innovation.

Networks and Collaboration in the Public Sector

Networks and Collaboration in the Public Sector
Author: Joris Voets
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2019-08-02
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134826028

Download Networks and Collaboration in the Public Sector Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Networks and other collaborations are central to the public sector’s ability to respond to their diverse responsibilities, from international development and regional governance, to policy development and service provision. Great strides have been made toward understanding their formation, governance and management, but more opportunities to explore methodologies and measures is required to ensure they are properly understood. This volume showcases an array of selected research methods and analytics tools currently used by scholars and practitioners in network and collaboration research, as well as emerging styles of empirical investigation. Although it cannot attempt to capture all technical details for each one, this book provides a unique catalogue of compelling methods for researchers and practitioners, which are illustrated extensively with applications in the public and non-profit sector. By bringing together leading and upcoming scholars in network research, the book will be of enormous assistance in guiding students and scholars in public management to study collaboration and networks empirically by demonstrating the core research approaches and tools for investigating and evaluating these crucially important arrangements.

Network Governance

Network Governance
Author: Naim Kapucu
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2020-04-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351056522

Download Network Governance Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Network governance has received much attention within the fields of public administration and policy in recent years, but surprisingly few books are designed specifically to help students, researchers, and practitioners examine key concepts, synthesize the growing body of literature into reliable frameworks, and to bridge the theory-practice gap by exploring network applications. Network Governance: Concepts, Theories, and Applications is the first textbook to focus on interorganizational networks and network governance from the perspective of public policy and administration, asking important questions such as: How are networks designed and developed? How are they governed, and what type of leadership do they require? To whom are networks accountable, and when are they effective? How can network governance contribute to effective delivery of public services and policy implementation? In this timely new book, authors Naim Kapucu and Qian Hu define and examine key concepts, propose exciting new theoretical frameworks to synthetize the fast-growing body of network research in public policy and administration, and provide detailed discussion of applications. Network Governance offers not only a much-needed systematic examination of existing knowledge, but it also goes much further than existing books by discussing the applications of networks in a wide range of management practice and policy domains—including natural resource management, environmental protection, public health, emergency and crisis management, law enforcement, transportation, and community and economic development. Chapters include understudied network research topics such as power and decision-making in interorganizational networks, virtual networks, global networks, and network analysis applications. What sets this book apart is the introduction of social network analysis and coverage of applications of social network analysis in the policy and management domains. PowerPoint slides and a sample syllabus are available for adopters on an accompanying website. Drawing on literature from sociology, policy sciences, organizational studies, and economics, this textbook will be required reading for courses on network governance, collaborative public management, cross-sector governance, and collaboration and partnerships in programs of public administration, public affairs, and public policy.

Managing Complex Networks

Managing Complex Networks
Author: Walter J M Kickert
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 232
Release: 1997-06-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780761955481

Download Managing Complex Networks Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Although the concept of policy networks is now well-established in the field, most research has to content itself with description and analysis of their contribution to policy failure. This book goes further. It accepts policy networks as a fundamental characteristic of modern societies and presents an overview of the strategies for the management of these networks, as well as illustrating the various strategies for intervention.

Organizing Networks

Organizing Networks
Author: Andréa Belliger
Publisher: Transcript Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: SOCIAL SCIENCE
ISBN: 9783837636161

Download Organizing Networks Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

What are organizations? Where do they come from? How are they transformed and adapted to new situations? In the digital age and in the global network society, traditional theories of the organization can no longer answer these questions. Based on actor-network theory, this book explains organizations as flexible, open networks in which both human and non-human actors enter into socio-technical assemblies by constantly negotiating and re-negotiating programs of action. Organizations are not macro social structures or autonomous systems operating behind the backs of individuals. Instead, they are scalable actor-networks guided by network norms of connectivity, flow, communication, participation, authenticity, and flexibility.

The Oxford Handbook of Public Management

The Oxford Handbook of Public Management
Author: Ewan Ferlie
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 805
Release: 2007
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 019922644X

Download The Oxford Handbook of Public Management Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The public sector continues to play a strategic role across the world and in the last thirty years there have been major shifts in approaches to its management. This text identifies the trends in public management and the effects these have had, as well as providing a broad overview to each topic.