Governance and governance networks in Europe - An assessment of ten years of research on the theme

The term governance has been used in a variety of ways, but is most often presented as an attempt to improve co-ordination between relatively dependent actors for the purpose of solving societal problems. It involves the horizontal steering of relations across networks, and can certainly be viewed as a 'growth industry'. This article describes the most important traditions in European governance network literature in the last ten years, and highlights the different foci within the field, particularly between European and American researchers. Finally, the article outlines important research areas that are likely to dominate the field in the future.