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Network Governance Theory: A Gramscian Critique

Author

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  • Jonathan S Davies

    (Faculty of Business and Law, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, England)

Abstract

Influential governance theories argue that we live increasingly in a world of networks either relegating hierarchy to the shadows or dismissing it altogether. This paper develops a Gramscian critique of these currents, advancing two key arguments. First, drawing on Gramsci's concepts of hegemony and passive revolution, it reinterprets the cultivation of networks as a prominent element in the hegemonic strategies of Western neoliberalism, exemplified by UK public policy. Second, however, governing networks struggle to cultivate trust, relying instead on hierarchy and closure. It is argued that network governance can therefore be understood as a form of Gramsci's integral state, a concept which highlights both the continuing centrality of coercion in the governance system and the limits of the networks project. It is concluded that conceiving of urban governing networks as micro configurations of the integral state offers a distinctive way of overcoming the ‘government to governance’ dualism.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonathan S Davies, 2012. "Network Governance Theory: A Gramscian Critique," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(11), pages 2687-2704, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:44:y:2012:i:11:p:2687-2704
    DOI: 10.1068/a4585
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Davies, 2014. "Rethinking urban power and the local state: Hegemony, domination and resistance in neoliberal cities," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(15), pages 3215-3232, November.
    2. Ana Moragues-Faus & Roberta Sonnino, 2019. "Re-assembling sustainable food cities: An exploration of translocal governance and its multiple agencies," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(4), pages 778-794, March.
    3. Mustafa Kemal Bayırbağ & Mehmet Penpecioğlu, 2017. "Urban crisis: ‘Limits to governance of alienation’," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(9), pages 2056-2071, July.
    4. Roel During & Kristof Van Assche & Rosalie Van Dam, 2022. "Relating Social and Ecological Resilience: Dutch Citizen’s Initiatives for Biodiversity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, March.
    5. Richard A. Courtney, 2018. "Network governance in the heritage ecology," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(3), pages 689-705, September.
    6. Vara-Sánchez, Isabel & Gallar-Hernández, David & García-García, Lidia & Morán Alonso, Nerea & Moragues-Faus, Ana, 2021. "The co-production of urban food policies: Exploring the emergence of new governance spaces in three Spanish cities," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    7. Mustafa Kemal Bayırbağ & Jonathan S Davies & Sybille Münch, 2017. "Interrogating urban crisis: Cities in the governance and contestation of austerity," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(9), pages 2023-2038, July.
    8. Yvonne Tobias-Miersch, 2017. "Beyond trust: towards a practice-based understanding of governing ‘network organizations’," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 21(2), pages 473-498, June.
    9. Nannan Zhao & Yuting Liu & June Wang, 2021. "Network Governance and the Evolving Urban Regeneration Policymaking in China: A Case Study of Insurgent Practices in Enninglu Redevelopment Project," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    10. Peter Marcuse & David Imbroscio & Simon Parker & Jonathan S. Davies & Warren Magnusson, 2014. "Critical Urban Theory versus Critical Urban Studies: A Review Debate," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1904-1917, September.
    11. Jonathan S Davies & Ismael Blanco, 2017. "Austerity urbanism: Patterns of neo-liberalisation and resistance in six cities of Spain and the UK," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(7), pages 1517-1536, July.

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