Understanding Gaps in the Coexistence between Different Modes of Governance: A Case Study of Public Health in Schools in a Multilevel System

Abstract

AbstractGoverning contemporary public services across industrialized countries typically draws on a mix of different modes of governance. The literature on governance has raised the issue of the specific coexistences between different modes of governance. The focus is on fits and clashes, whereas there is less attention on situations, where different modes of governance do not connect. The contribution of the present article is to more systematically account for the “what” and “why” of such “gaps.” What are their specific characteristics? How can their existence be explained? Based on a critical case study of supporting coordination in public health services in Québec, the article argues: that gaps in the coexistence between different modes of governance can be thought of as disconnects in the management of public services; and that this reflects a de facto lack of governance capacity to connect different modes of governance to each other.