Changes in governance

States are increasingly subjected to numerous forms of regulative, inquisitive and meditative activities. The European Union (EU) is one important example of this expanding governance directed towards states. Structures, processes, and even the policies of European states are typically disciplined by discussions, examinations and rule-making orchestrated by organizations in their environments. As a consequence, these states can be seen less as autonomous rule-making organizations than as organizations deeply embedded in their environments and scripted by wider systems of rules and ideas. This chapter investigates these transformations and the governance activities that define many of the parameters within which states operate. Illustrations are taken primarily from changes in the Nordic states and from the EU as the locus of rule-making, monitoring and discourse. The argument is, however, a more general one.

Despite much talk about globalization and the hollowing out of states, what we see in the world is not that states are becoming less attractive than before: On the contrary, they tend to be more popular than ever. There were 191 states in the United Nations in 2003 compared with 144 in 1975 – and 60 in 1950. Common discussions about a possible “abdication of states” (Ohmae 1995), “retreat of states” (Strange 1996) and “hollowing out of states” obviously have not diminished the desire to create them.

We are witnessing not only a rapid creation of new states, but also transformations in existing ones.