Understanding governance - R. A. W. Rhodes

Understanding Governance asks:

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What has changed in British government over the past two decades, how and why?

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Why do so many government policies fail?

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What does the shift from government to governance mean for the practice and study of British government?

This book provides a challenging reinterpretation which interweaves an account of recent institutional changes in central, local and European Union government with methodological innovations and theoretical analysis.
It emphasizes: the inability of the 'Westminster model', with its accent on parliamentary sovereignty and strong executive leadership, to account for persistent policy failure; the 'hollowing out' of British government from above (the European Union), below (special purpose bodies) and sideways (to agencies); and the need to respond to the postmodern challenge, rethinking the methodological and theoretical assumptions in the study of British government.
Professor Rhodes makes a significant and timely contribution to our understanding of government and governance.