Jurisdictional Integrity, Polycentrism, and the Design of Democratic Governance

In: Governance: an international journal of policy and administration and institutions, Band 18, Heft 1, S. 89-110

Abstract

Political & managerial processes are creating polycentric networks that transcend the traditional ideas of jurisdictional integrity in state-centric systems. Jurisdictional integrity refers to the political & legal competence of a unit of government to operate within a spatial & functional realm. An intrinsic element of jurisdictional integrity in a democratic system is that citizens are enabled to give consent to & pass judgment on the exercise of authority by that governmental entity. The concept of jurisdictional integrity is shown to apply differentially in relation to the traditional institutions of government in comparison with the emergent complex of quasigovernmental agencies, special purpose bodies & multiorganizational collaborations. Distinctions are drawn between club, agency, & polity entities within this emergent organizational field. Problems to be faced in the design of institutions for network governance under conditions of polycentrism are identified & solutions reviewed. The potential of consociationalism to enable collective decision making across a polycentric system is highlighted. Informal norms are shown to be essential in enabling such a system for network governance to operate effectively. 3 Tables, 1 Figure, 50 References. Adapted from the source document.