The key difference between success and failure for most governance systems is adaptation, specifically the ability to resolve the existing social, cultural, economic and environmental challenges that constrain adaptation. Local, regional and national systems differ in how they are designed to organize effective participation and create innovative ideas for missions, goals, strategies and actions. They also differ in how they build the effective coalitions needed to adopt, guide and protect strategies and actions during implementation, and how to build competence and knowledge to sustain implementation.

This book presents the strategic foundations for government’s role in fostering and adapting to societal transformation in a volatile world. It shifts the focus of the discipline from an overtly retrospective analysis to a prospective analysis, incorporating the role of foresight techniques and instruments. Above all, it stimulates debate about the practical implications of governance as an emergent future-oriented framework of public management.

This challenging book aims to facilitate dialogue and discussion between academics and practitioners, and encourage advanced students to take a new perspective on Public Management during these volatile times.

This is an ambitious book that makes an important contribution to link governance approaches and government strategic foresight. Scholars and practitioners alike will benefit from the host of stimulating insights it offers.

Edoardo Ongaro, Professor of International Public Services Management, Northumbria University, UK

Myopic, tunnel-visioned officials run our governments. How do we get them to look ahead 10, 20, even 50 years into the future? This ambitious volume calls for institutions that foster collaboration and consensus based on the deliberations of the governed.

Fred Thompson, Director, Center for Governance and Public Policy Research, Willamette University, USA

Public management and governance systems currently have significant strains and stresses associated with existing social, cultural, economic and environmental challenges. This book presents significant advances in theoretical and practical understanding of governance in public management. The book provides a public management perspective that is geared to comprehend the future and provide sign posts for public sector actors to strategically act on the many contemporary challenges.

James Guthrie, Professor, The University of Sydney, Australia

Charles Conteh is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Political Science at Brock University, Canada. Thomas J. Greitens is Associate Professor of Public Administration at Central Michigan University, USA. David K. Jesuit is Director of the School of Public Service and Global Citizenship and a Professor of Political Science at Central Michigan University, USA. Ian Roberge is Chair of the Department of Political Science and Associate Professor at Glendon College, York University, Canada.