Colloquium Tim den Ouden

You are hereby cordially invited to the presentation of the thesis of Tim den Ouden entitled

'A contribution to the understanding and strengthening of network governance: a theoretical
and empirical explanation of governance capabilities'

Supervisor: Otto Hospes (co-examinor: Art Dewulf)

Date and time: Tuesday, 23 June,  09-10:00 hours

Location: room 3011, Leeuwenborch, Hollandseweg 1, Wageningen

In response to the growing societal complexity, governance networks are proliferating in different fields, policy areas and levels of governance. In order to ensure that governance networks remain effective mechanisms of coordination, the concept of metagovernance receives increasingly attention from academics. The introduction of the concept of governance capabilities provides  an alternative on how to ‘metagovern’. By looking into network governance this research assesses the role of governance capabilities for networks. It is argued that a governance capability could best be understood as a collection of immaterial assets, composed of two dimensions: actor and structure. It aims to strengthen reflexive, responsive, resilient and revitalizing interactions in networks in order to ensure that a network is able to deal with wicked problems. A framework is presented that proposes different network tools and describes how they could be used  to strengthen governance capabilities. As such, it contributes to the strengthening of network governance. This argument is illustrated by empirical data derived from a case study of a network organization in South Africa.