Polycentric governance systems have “multiple, overlapping decision-making units that operate with a fair amount of autonomy, yet also evince a degree of coordination as they take one another into account in decision‐making processes (based on Carlisle and Gruby (2017); Ostrom et al. (1961))” (Kellner at al. 2019).
“From its initial use by Michael Polanyi (1951) the concept of polycentricity diffused to different disciplines, including governance studies (Aligica and Tarko, 2012). V. Ostrom and colleagues used it to characterize a metropolitan region with overlapping units (Ostrom et al., 1961). Subsequently, E. Ostrom and others have used the term to refer to “multiple governing authorities at different scales rather than monocentric units” (Ostrom, 2010). Units in a polycentric governance system are not restricted to formal governmental bodies: “Polycentric governance requires a complex combination of multiple levels and diverse types of organizations drawn from the public, private, and voluntary sectors that have overlapping realms of responsibility and functional capacities […] In addition, private corporations, voluntary associations, and community-based organizations play critical supporting roles in a polycentric system of governance, even if they have not been assigned public roles in an official manner” (McGinnis and Ostrom, 2012)” (Kellner et al. 2019).
I am involved in different activities regarding polycentric governance:
- Co-editor of a Special Issue together with Prof. Paul Tobin, UK, and Prof. Dave Huitema, NL about Polycentric Climate Governance in Global Environmental Politics (forthcoming): The complex empirical realities of polycentric climate governance
- First author of a systematic literature review on polycentric climate governance (2024, see below) together with Prof. Dave Huitema, NL and Dr. Daniel Petrovics, NL
- Co-author of a systematic literature review on polycentric governance (2023, see below) together with Prof. Mike McGinnis, US, Prof. Andreas Thiel, DE, and Prof. Elizabeth Baldwin, US
- 10/2022: Discussant, panel “Analyzing polycentric climate networks”. Conference on Earth System Governance, Toronto, CAN.
- 08/2022: Co-chair, panel “Empirical and conceptual developments of polycentric climate governance” (with Paul Tobin). European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) Conference, University of Innsbruck, AT.
- 05/2021: Co-organizer (Steering Committee) Polycentricity Conference 2021, International Association for the Study of the Commons (https://2021polycentricity.iasc-commons.org)
Own publications on polycentric governance:
Kellner, Elke; Petrovics, Daniel; Huitema, Dave (accepted): Polycentric climate governance: The state, local action, democratic preferences, and power – emerging insights and a research agenda. In Global Environmental Politics.
Baldwin, Elizabeth; Thiel, Andreas; McGinnis, Michael D.; Kellner, Elke (2023): Empirical research on polycentric governance: Critical gaps and a framework for studying long-term change. In Policy Studies Journal, Article psj.12518, pp. 1–30. DOI: 10.1111/psj.12518.
Kellner, Elke; Oberlack, Christoph; Gerber, Jean-David (2019): Polycentric governance compensates for incoherence of resource regimes: The case of water uses under climate change in Oberhasli, Switzerland. In: Environmental Science & Policy 100, pp. 126–135. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2019.06.008.
Juniperus osteosperma cones, Colorado, US (Photo: E. Kellner)