Governing spaces: a multi-sited ethnography of governing welfare reform at close range and at a distance

Abstract

Governing at a distance has been much discussed in relation to welfare reforms but debates tend toward abstract theorization, neglecting Foucault's instruction to study mundane practices in specific sites. Although sociological concepts of place, positioning and boundaries carry particular resonance for public policy, ethnographic studies are scarce. A multi-sited ethnography of welfare reform reveals how seemingly discrete governance sites turned out to be linked in a complex policy assemblage. Findings suggest that governing at a distance may be ineffective and may necessitate governing at close range, although scales may fold over. Local spaces of network governance may not be autonomous but imbricated with national and local government and broader scales of governance. Apparently inclusive spaces exhibited exclusionary features, with spaces doing representational work that was simultaneously political, material and symbolic. Complex, shifting sociospatial relationships thus influence the uneven development of welfare reform.

Permanently provisional: An ethnographic analysis of responsive governance practices in and through meetings

“…The studies that have analyzed (inter‐)actions of governance, sometimes referred to as the micro‐level, have taught us several lessons. Multiple studies have exposed the pragmatic nature of governing, to “get things done”, which is often only loosely coupled or even uncoupled from formalized governance agreements, theories, or regulatory requirements (Blanco et al, 2014; Carter, 2018; Griggs & Sullivan, 2014; Huising & Silbey, 2011; Lindsey, 2014; Wagenaar & Wilkinson, 2015). In some studies, governance actors are shown to manage or reconcile the gap between regulatory expectations and everyday governing work, while largely maintaining structural governance arrangements (Huising & Silbey, 2011; Klenk, 2020; Schwabenland & Hirst, 2020).…”

Gobierno de la ciudadanía y gobierno de sí

“…En este período hubo un auge en las políticas de gobierno que enfatizaron en lo que se ha llamado en ocasiones "autogobierno": los ciudadanos son individualizados en la gestión del riesgo y en la cobertura de ciertos servicios básicos, funciones que antes correspondían al Estado de bienestar como ha sido estudiado anteriormente (Carter, 2016;Rose, 1999). Esta biopolítica concibe una formación ortogonal: a la vez que se ejerce la regulación de la población, hay fuerzas de disciplina sobre los individuos que le son perpendiculares (Foucault, 2001, p. 229).…”

Engagement of patients and the public in NHS sustainability and transformation: An ethnographic study

“…'Invited spaces' thus entailed inevitable exclusion of certain publics (Carter, 2016, Carter and. The discursive negotiation that took place resulted in a written text, a PreConsultation Business Case (PCBC).…”