Encyclopedia of Governance

Editor/Author: Bevir, Mark
Publication Year: 2007
Publisher: Sage Publications

ISBN: 978-1-4129-0579-4
Category: social sciences
Image Count: 3
Book Status: Available

The Encyclopedia of Governance provides a one-stop point of reference for the diverse and complex topics surrounding governance for the period between the collapse of the post-war consensus and the rise of neoliberal regimes in the 1970s.

This book is found in the following Credo Collections:

• SAGE Political Science Collection
• SAGE Reference Collection
• Political Science Collection

See what others are saying:

• This encyclopedia provides a comprehensive overview and in-depth analysis of the concept of governance, defined by the editor to encompass broadly "all patterns of rule" within a state and relating generally to issues of public policy and democratic rule. Its focus is the analysis and explanation of contemporary forms of governance beginning in the 1970s, particularly governance as a global phenomenon. Where necessary, the contributors provide sufficient historical context. For example, the European Free Trade Association entry traces the association's evolution as a nongovernmental organization; it analyzes its current relationship with the European Union and its general influence over European free trade. Approximately 230 scholars contributed almost 550 entries, which are alphabetically arranged and vary in length. Entries include definitions of various organizations, theoretical concepts, methodologies, and common terminology found within public-sector decision making and management. The entries on theories (e.g., feminist, rational choice, and normal accident theory) are particularly useful in explaining the research and scholarly dimensions of governance. They place a term within the context of how it informs theory in practice within the fields of political science, international affairs, public administration, and organization studies. The entries' avoidance of jargon makes them very accessible. Each entry features abundant cross-references and concludes with suggested further readings that focus primarily on books and selected scholarly articles (few scholarly Web sites are noted). Front matter includes a reader's guide. Volume 2 concludes with a comprehensive, well-constructed index that provides the most direct access to key terms and concepts embedded throughout the work. This encyclopedia sets a high standard in its coverage of the concepts of modern governance.

  R. V. Labaree
  University of Southern California

• In the Encyclopedia of Governance, editor Mark Bevir, professor of political science at the University of California at Berkeley, and his team of associate editors and contributors from academic institutions around the world, have assembled a comprehensive reference resource dealing with an exhaustive range of topics relating to governance. Areas from citizenship and cultures to institutionalism to interpretive theory are discussed in depth. The Encyclopedia covers a wide variety of topics, such as theories of government and organization, economics, policy analysis, and management of public sector issues. It focuses on governance from the collapse of post-war consensus to the present time, and mainly deals with the changing role of the state and how these roles have been examined through the lenses of political science, economics, sociology, and public administration. The work is global in scope, and attempts to examine the various issues in governance from a variety of perspectives. The contributors have worked hard to avoid technical terms and jargon to make the Encyclopedia of Governance useful and intelligible to a wide audience.The authority of the contributors and editors, who are all noted scholars in their fields, is unquestionable. There is no detectable bias toward any particular political view. The entries are well written, although the reading level required to make full use of this reference resource is quite high. An index is provided, as is a readers' guide that divides the entries into several wide categories, and these tools make it fairly easy for a user to quickly locate desired information. The entries are signed by authors, and provide references for further reading. See also suggestions are included to direct readers to other entries of possible interest. The Encyclopedia of Governance is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in modern governance, and is recommended for the reference collections of any academic libraries supporting programs in political science, government, public administration, or law.

  Mark T. Bay
  Electronic Resources, Serials, and Government Documents Librarian, Hagan Memorial Library, Cumberland College, Williamsburg, Ky.