Addressing the Present and the Future in Government and Governance: Three approaches to Organising Public Action
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.1708 |
| Published date | 01 May 2015 |
| Author | Ian Thynne,B. Guy Peters |
| Date | 01 May 2015 |
ADDRESSING THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE IN GOVERNMENT AND
GOVERNANCE: THREE APPROACHES TO ORGANISING PUBLIC
ACTION
IAN THYNNE
1,2
*AND B. GUY PETERS
3,4
1
Australian National University, Australia
2
University of Hong Kong, China
3
University of Pittsburg, USA
4
Zeppelin University, Germany
SUMMARY
Because public action matters in all countries and political systems, how it is organised now and in the future must exercise the
minds of policy-makers in and beyond government. In response, we argue that there is considerable merit in having a widely
applicable analytical lens through which to look at and assess present arrangements and future possibilities. The lens has mul-
tiple dimensions, which we address here in terms of three broad approaches to organising public action. We label these ap-
proaches as ‘statism’,‘state–market dualism’and ‘state–market–civil society synergism’. Their components and distinctive
features are discussed, followed by a consideration of significant application issues and concerns. A fundamental matter is
how best to balance the demands of public action and organised responses with the requirements of publicness and legitimacy
as systems of government and governance are maintained and reformed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
key words—government; governance; public action; organising; statism; state–market dualism; state–market–civil society
synergism
INTRODUCTION
We begin with the proposition that public action definitely matters—and, accordingly, that approaches to
organising it must be a core concern of government and governance. This proposition has universal application
and significance. Of course, how action is conceived, the nature of its publicness and the organised means of
pursuing it can, and do, differ quite markedly from country to country, political system to political system. This
is inevitable given diverse histories, cultures, traditions, political regimes and socio-economic conditions.
Nevertheless, the fundamentals are certain and clear, with some distinctive, interrelated approaches being
discernible of practical and scholastic significance alike.
In all countries and polities, action of public scope and interest not only is taken but also needs to be taken by
means that are organised, however formal or informal and however effective or ineffective. Consequently, what-
ever the circumstance, there is logic in having a comprehensive and widely applicable analytical lens through
which to look at government and governance in at least two situations. One is when describing, assessing and com-
paring how public action is presently organised in various contexts, with an appreciation also of the past. The other
is when considering, proposing and taking decisions on how public action might more appropriately be organised
in those contexts in the future in the light of the present and past. The two situations are intertwined in practice and
theory, with considerable benefits for practitioners in having a well-informed understanding of the present and past
as an essential precondition for deciding meaningfully on future change and continuity.
*Correspondence to: I. Thynne, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601, Australia.
E-mail: ian.thynne@anu.edu.au
public administration and development
Public Admin. Dev. 35,73–85 (2015)
Published online in Wiley Online Library
(wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/pad.1708
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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