What does non-hierarchical governance mean? Under what conditions are actors likely to engage in it? Which trajectory best captures its long-term evolution? Through which mechanisms does it overcome gridlock? To respond to these questions at the heart of regulatory governance, Experimentalist Governance develops an analytical framework that draws on contemporary debates but seeks to overcome their limitations. Notably, it offers a definition of non-hierarchical (experimentalist) governance that goes beyond institutional structures, focusing attention on actors' choices and strategies. It shows that, contrary to expectations, functional and political pressures were more influential than distributions of legal power, and bolstered one another. Strong functional demands and political opposition influence actors' capacity of using powers which, de jure, might be concentrated in their own hands. Indeed, actors can use non-hierarchical governance to aid learning and mould political support. Conversely, they may override legal constraints and impose their views on others, insofar as they are equipped with confidence and powerful coalitions beforehand. This book also challenges conservative views that non-hierarchical governance is doomed to wither away, showing that, on the contrary, it is often resilient. Finally, it demonstrates that, far from being alternatives, positive (shadow-of-hierarchy) and negative (penalty-default) mechanisms to avoid gridlock are frequently complementary. By analysing five crucial domains (electricity, gas, communications, finance, and pharmaceuticals) in the European Union, an examination is made of when, how, and why non-hierarchical institutions affect policy processes and outcomes. Combining temporal, cross-sectoral, and within-case comparisons with process-tracing, this book ultimately illustrates the conditions, trajectories, and mechanisms of non-hierarchical governance.

About the Author
Bernardo Rangoni is Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Politics of the University of York, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow in the Department of Political Science of the University of Antwerp, and Visiting Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute. Previously, he was Fellow in European and Comparative Political Economy at the London School of Economics, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Amsterdam, Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, as well as Visiting Researcher at Yale Law School. He has earned two master's degrees and a PhD from the LSE. His research, which centres on public policy, political economy, and regulatory governance, has appeared in Governance, European Union Politics, Journal of Common Market Studies, Regulation & Governance, and Journal of European Public Policy.


Book Information
ISBN 9780198849919
Author Bernardo Rangoni
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 162mm * 18mm