Comparative Perspective on States, Markets, and Civil Society

(Same as Social Welfare M290X and Urban Planning M210B.) Governance is about solving and managing societal problems, such as climate change, poverty, migration, security, mobility, pollution, or trade relations. Contemporary governance is complex set of laws, rules, and regulations involving rights and responsibilities of three institutional complexes of modern societies (state, market, and civil society), interests that guide them, and legitimacy and resources they command. Actors often reach across systemic, jurisdictional, and national boundaries; their relationships can be cooperative, neutral, or fraught with conflict, and governance outcomes can vary significantly. These dynamics involve fundamental challenges and, consequently, require significant governance readiness. Lectures, debates, in-class exercises, and student presentations. Exploration of several issues in more detail, e.g., types of state capacities, democracy, crisis management, governance innovation, and specific policy fields such as infrastructure or global finance.

S/U or letter grading.