Network Theory in the Public Sector

<p>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?</p><p>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. </p>