Coordinated Governance in the VUCA Scenario

Abstract

This article deals with coordination in the study and practice of governance. Facing the new generation of complex public problems will require not only greater coordination, but also coordination that can only be built from a long-term systemic and global vision, based on governments with effective institutional capacity. In other words, internal sufficiency and external connectivity will be two key factors in the new governance. The article is structured in six sections. After the introduction, the second one analyses the concept of governance in terms of coordination. The third reviews the meaning of coordination as management of interdependencies. The fourth explores the increase in complexity and interdependence in the current scenario, through the VUCA concept (English acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). The fifth examines some challenges of global governance and coordination through the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, it presents some conclusions.