Project Timespan: 2013-2033 | Project Leaders: Raoul Beunen, Kristof Van Assche and Martijn Duineveld | For more info see: governancetheory.com/

Project DescriptionGovernance is a key-concept in the pathway to a sustainable future of our planet.  All major issues, whether we are talking about  sustainable urban development, food security, the conservation of biodiversity, rural development or dealing with the effects of climate change, require interventions that will dramatically change the way in which we organise our societies. Dealing with these challenges requires  use to rethink the ways in which societies and environments are governed. Over the years it has become clear that this is not an easy challenge. Many attempts for improvement have not just failed, but often brought along a wide range of unintended negative effects. It is a challenge that urges us to go beyond what has worked in the past. We need to develop, test and evaluate new governance arrangements, new policies, new institutions, new organisations, new forms of cooperation and learning, new knowledge et cetera.

The International Institute of Innovation in Governance wants to connects researchers all over the world. We organize workshops, research seminars and develop online learning environment and make scientific research available to all those that are interested via open-access publications. The work from the institute starts from the assumption that successful governance reforms and the introduction of new policy instruments should start with obtaining a better understanding of how our societies function, how they are governed and which possibilities there are for innovation and change. The complexity and ambiguity of many contemporary societal challenges, require us to rethink governance and to revise the ways in which we organize our society in a fundamental way.

For more info see: governancetheory.com/