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THE IMPACT OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT AND COMPLEXITY ON MULTI‐LEVEL COORDINATION
Author(s) -
HOVIK SISSEL,
HANSSEN GRO SANDKJAER
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.313
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-9299
pISSN - 0033-3298
DOI - 10.1111/padm.12135
Subject(s) - interdependence , directive , business , government (linguistics) , order (exchange) , complex network , public sector , network management , industrial organization , process management , economics , computer science , political science , economy , computer network , linguistics , philosophy , finance , world wide web , law , programming language
In order to meet the challenges of an increasingly fragmented public sector and severe wicked problems, network structures have become an important part of contemporary public administration. Thus, managing networks is a central concern for public managers. The article focuses on networks being established in Norway in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive. The mandatory networks consist of actors representing different levels of government and several policy sectors, having highly asymmetric interests, interdependencies, and power relations. Based on comprehensive survey material, the article illuminates how the important role of network management on multi‐level coordination is conditioned by complexity. Rather surprisingly, the more complex networks score better on coordination, and the most promising management strategy seems to depend upon institutional complexity. Direct and connecting strategies seem to be required in the most complex settings, while in less complex settings, indirect facilitative strategies are more effective to achieve coordination.