An incisive examination of Britain today, which breaks from traditional studies, and takes a new approach to account for massive changes in the make-up of the nation. Over the last twenty years Britain has changed from being governed as a unitary state to a country ruled by the interplay of various forces: central government, the market, public-private partnerships, new local government structures (eg. the new Mayoral system), greater regional autonomy as well as the EU and transnational businesses and organizations. In their earlier book Interpreting British Governance, Bevir and Rhodes examined changes in British government by setting out an interpretative approach to British political science, which focussed on an aggregate analysis of British political traditions. This new study builds on this work to: provide a theoretical defence of situated agency located in the historical context of British political science compare their approach to British political science with others including, post-structural and institutional analysis present a general account of governance as the context for ethnographic analyses of governance in action deliver studies of the consumers of public services, the National Health Service, government departments and policy networks. This book will be of great interest to advanced students and researchers of political theory, public policy, British politics and British history.

This open access book captures and elaborates on the skill of storytelling as one of the distinct leadership features of Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and the President of the People’s Republic of China. It gathers the stories included in Xi’s speeches on various occasions, where they conveyed the essence of China’s history and culture, its reform and development, and the principles of China’s participating in global governance and cooperating with other countries to build a community of common destiny. The respective stories not only convey abstract and profound concepts of governance in comparatively straightforward language, but also create an immediate emotional connection between the narrator and the listener. In addition to the original stories, extensive additional materials are provided to convey the original context in which each was told, including when and to whom Xi told it, helping readers attain a deeper, intuitive understanding of their relevance.

A passionate examination of why international anti-corruption fails to deliver results and how we should understand and build good governance.

From the first stock markets of Amsterdam,London, and New York to the billions of electronic commerce transactions today, privately produced and enforced economic regulations are more common, more effective, and more promising than commonly considered. In Private Governance, prominent economist Edward Stringham presents case studies of the various forms of private enforcement, self-governance, or self-regulation among private groups or individuals that fill a void that government enforcement cannot. Through analytical narratives the book provides a close examination of the world's first stock markets, key elements of which were unenforceable by law; the community of Celebration, Florida, and other private communities that show how public goods can be bundled with land and provided more effectively; and the millions of credit-card transactions that occur daily and are regulated by private governance. Private Governance ultimately argues that while potential problems of private governance, such as fraud, are pervasive, so are the solutions it presents, and that much of what is orderly in the economy can be attributed to private groups and individuals. With meticulous research, Stringham demonstrates that private governance is a far more common source of order than most people realize, and that private parties have incentives to devise different mechanisms for eliminating unwanted behavior. Private Governance documents numerous examples of private order throughout history to illustrate how private governance is more resilient to internal and external pressure than is commonly believed. Stringham discusses why private governance has economic and social advantages over relying on government regulations and laws, and explores the different mechanisms that enable private governance, including sorting, reputation, assurance, and other bonding mechanisms. Challenging and rigorously-written, Private Governance will make a compelling read for those with an interest in economics, political philosophy, and the history of current Wall Street regulations.

There has never been so much pressure on nonprofit boards of directors to achieve a level of accountability that meets public and stakeholder expectations. Member-serving association boards may be especially challenged by their more complex affiliate structures and a greater emphasis on representative governance. But what does the journey to good governance look like? Markedly different from existing board development books, this modern approach focuses less on the behaviors and qualities of "high-performing boards" and more on the stages and processes that directors and their staff used to transform their boards. Based on research funded by the ASAE Foundation, the book fills a gap in the governance literature by emphasizing diagnosis and problem solving, using the actual tools and activities implemented by 85 transformed associations. Combining the credibility of scholarly research with lively and compelling stories, tools, and teachable moments, this book is designed to help associations and other nonprofit organizations achieve the entire journey to good governance, from first to last steps.

The Essential School Board Book highlights effective practices that are common to high-functioning boards around the country--boards that are working successfully with their superintendents and communities to improve teaching and learning.