Policy Debate: Government and Governance on the Western Balkans
Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, II, 2020, 19-23 Journal
Andreas Faludi
Summary
With no direct exposure to ‘The Western Balkans Network on Territorial Governance,’ I take it to be a joint effort concerning a loosely-defined region for which there is no unitary government, nor will there be one. Hence, we are talking about ‘governance’ rather than ‘government’, the former referring to anything that goes beyond or comes in lieu of exercising formal competences, and/or spending the treasures of a government body. To invoke the concept of governance recognizes that the powers and/or resources of government are insufficient, so much so that the latter becomes dependent on the acquiescence of and/or active support from other actors able to fill the gap. Where, as in the Western Balkans, there is not one, but rather a multitude of governmental bodies, collaborative governance is the only option.
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