Hubert Heinelt

This book analyses the ability of individuals to create meaning through communicative interaction and of what seems to constrain and enable actors in taking collectively binding political decisions. The book examines why, in some contexts, individuals consider something as evident and relevant for their action while others perceive them as nonsense or simply as ‘fake news’. As such, the book follows a research perspective based on a concept emphasizing that the core function of knowledge is related to the selection and integration of data and other information which give them substance. Taking an interpretive political science perspective to knowledge, the book overcomes particular deficiencies of policy learning concepts where the development of an understanding of ‘reality’ is thematized in a way that supposedly decrypts everyday processes through which individuals understand ‘reality’ and (re)orient their actions to intersubjective processes. To better understand these intersubjective processes, communicative mechanisms are worked through where knowledge claims are selected and integrated. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of political science and policy analysis and more broadly, to sociology and social theory, geography, planning, philosophy, communication studies, and governance studies.

Title first published in 2003. This book focuses on whether participatory governance can lead to sustainable and innovative outcomes. Using an empirical analysis of the development, implementation and review of an EU environmental management system - the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), it examines under which circumstances participatory governance might encourage sustainability and innovation.

This title was first published in 2001. Outlining the results of a three-country study, this text examines the impact of EU policy on the domestic, political and institutional environment. It tests ideas about new forms of governance that reflect the values of participation and empowerment of local interests, particularly through a close scrutiny of the environmental impact process. The book also analyzes the responses of the business sector in three countries - Germany, Greece and Great Britain - to the introduction of a voluntary environmental management system, the eco-management and audit scheme.

This book analyses the ability of individuals to create meaning through communicative interaction and of what seems to constrain and enable actors in taking collectively binding political decisions. The book examines why, in some contexts, individuals consider something as evident and relevant for their action while others perceive them as nonsense or simply as ‘fake news’. As such, the book follows a research perspective based on a concept emphasizing that the core function of knowledge is related to the selection and integration of data and other information which give them substance. Taking an interpretive political science perspective to knowledge, the book overcomes particular deficiencies of policy learning concepts where the development of an understanding of ‘reality’ is thematized in a way that supposedly decrypts everyday processes through which individuals understand ‘reality’ and (re)orient their actions to intersubjective processes. To better understand these intersubjective processes, communicative mechanisms are worked through where knowledge claims are selected and integrated. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of political science and policy analysis and more broadly, to sociology and social theory, geography, planning, philosophy, communication studies, and governance studies.

Title first published in 2003. This book focuses on whether participatory governance can lead to sustainable and innovative outcomes. Using an empirical analysis of the development, implementation and review of an EU environmental management system - the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), it examines under which circumstances participatory governance might encourage sustainability and innovation.

This title was first published in 2001. Outlining the results of a three-country study, this text examines the impact of EU policy on the domestic, political and institutional environment. It tests ideas about new forms of governance that reflect the values of participation and empowerment of local interests, particularly through a close scrutiny of the environmental impact process. The book also analyzes the responses of the business sector in three countries - Germany, Greece and Great Britain - to the introduction of a voluntary environmental management system, the eco-management and audit scheme.

Is the ‘golden age’ of democracy really over due to the pressures of globalisation and the erosion of the nation state? Within this book, Heinelt seeks to address the democratic deficit in political systems linked to limited Citizen Participation reflecting on the notion of democracy and participatory governance and how they relate to each other. Exploring democracy beyond the governmental structures and focusing on participatory governance in particular this book demonstrates that common notions of democracy have to be re-conceptualised without neglecting its key ideas. By arguing that it is a political task to turn the inevitability of governance into a participatory form, Heinelt develops a model of different ‘worlds of democratic actions’ which shows that democratic political systems have to be considered as a complex and broad web of various forms of interest articulation and intermediation as well as decision-making. Making an important contribution to the ‘third transformation of democracy’, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of governance, democracy, policymaking & European studies.

Dieser Band greift die Frage nach der politischen Rolle von Gemeinderäten auf und behandelt die folgenden Fragen:- Wie formiert sich in der Kommunalpolitik Interessenartikulation und -vertretung? Welche Rolle spielen Parteien bei der Interessenartikulation und -vertretung und wie nehmen Ratsmitglieder den Gemeinderat wahr - eher als Verwaltungs- oder als parlamentarisches Organ?- Wie werden unterschiedliche Formen der Interessenvertretung und -vermittlung eingeschätzt? Inwiefern wird dabei auf das Modell repräsentativer Demokratie gesetzt - oder das einer darüber hinausgehenden partizipativen Demokratie? - Wie wird die seit den 90er Jahren laufende kommunale Verwaltungsmodernisierung von Ratsmitgliedern wahrgenommen und wie wirken sich Faktoren wie etwa die Parteizugehörigkeit auf die jeweiligen Einstellungen aus?- Welche sozialstrukturellen Merkmale weisen Ratsmitglieder auf?

Das Buch schildert die Grundproblematik des Regierens in Ballungsräumen und gibt einen Überblick über die dominierenden Paradigmen und Leitideen der letzten 60 Jahre, die jeweils die konkrete Gestaltung von Organisationsformen anleiteten. Ob und wie Governance-Arrangements in Ballungsräumen in der Lage sind, die besonderen Herausforderungen einer politischen Handlungskoordination zu erfüllen, verweist letztlich aber auf die Frage nach ihrer Effektivität. Dies wird an aktuellen Beispielen aus fünf Metropolregionen in Deutschland untersucht. Dabei wird auch die Frage der demokratischen Qualität adressiert. Das Buch ist damit sowohl für Praktiker als auch für Politikwissenschaftler interessant, die an institutionenpolitischen Fragen interessiert sind.

Is the ‘golden age’ of democracy really over due to the pressures of globalisation and the erosion of the nation state? Within this book, Heinelt seeks to address the democratic deficit in political systems linked to limited Citizen Participation reflecting on the notion of democracy and participatory governance and how they relate to each other. Exploring democracy beyond the governmental structures and focusing on participatory governance in particular this book demonstrates that common notions of democracy have to be re-conceptualised without neglecting its key ideas. By arguing that it is a political task to turn the inevitability of governance into a participatory form, Heinelt develops a model of different ‘worlds of democratic actions’ which shows that democratic political systems have to be considered as a complex and broad web of various forms of interest articulation and intermediation as well as decision-making. Making an important contribution to the ‘third transformation of democracy’, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of governance, democracy, policymaking & European studies.

This book offers a cross-national analysis of contemporary issues and challenges for the governing of urban regions. The case studies on Germany, Spain, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Finland, the UK, Switzerland, Australia, the US and Canada, place particular emphasis on the tensions building on metropolitan governing capacity and democratic legitimacy. The authors develop and use an analytical framework focused on the dynamics of place and make an original contribution to the debates on the nature of metropolitan governance.

This book offers a cross-national analysis of contemporary issues and challenges for the governing of urban regions. The case studies on Germany, Spain, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Finland, the UK, Switzerland, Australia, the US and Canada, place particular emphasis on the tensions building on metropolitan governing capacity and democratic legitimacy. The authors develop and use an analytical framework focused on the dynamics of place and make an original contribution to the debates on the nature of metropolitan governance.

Die vorliegende Arbeit ist im Zusammenhang des Forsehungssehwer- punktes Sozialpolitik am Institut fUr Politisehe Wissensehaft der Universi- tat Hannover entstanden. Die Bedeutung dieses Entstehungszusammen- hanges fiir die in dieser Arbeit vorgelegte Untersuehung des vorzeitigen Austritts Alterer aus dem Erwerbssystem driiekt sieh nieht zuletzt darin aus, daB von einer Pramisse ausgegangen wurde, die diesem Arbeitszu- sammenhang gcmeinsam ist: namlieh der Pramisse, daB dureh Sozialpoli- tik Niehterwerbstatigkeit reguliert wird und aufgrund der Besehaftigungs- krise seit MiUe der 70er Jahre diese Leistung von Sozialpolitik fUr den Ar- beitsmarkt verstarkt worden ist. Mogliehkeiten des Eintritts in sozialpoli- tisch gestaltete Formen der Existenzsieherung hangen dabei z. T. von insti- tutionellen Regelungsstrukturen ab, die nieht bzw. nieht ausdriieklieh auf diese Leistung ausgeriehtet sind (vgl. Blanke/Heinelt/Maeke/Riib 1987), und aueh neu installierte sozialpolitisehe Sieherungsformen sind in ihrer Wirkung von gegebenen institutionellen Regelungen abhangig. Dies ver- weist auf die allgemeinen politikwissensehaftliehen Fragestellungen, ob und wie bestehende institutionelle Regelungen auf Politikprozesse wirken, die auf eine Anpassung von Institutionen an veranderte Um- weltbedingungen abzielen, und ob bestehende institutionelle Regelngen, die als Ergebnisse friiherer Auseinandersetzungen urn Problemlosungen -und damit aueh als ge- ronnener Ausdruck von Interessen-und Zielkonflikten bzw. -konsen- betraehtet werden konnen, aktuelle Politikinhalte praformieren.