Public Administration as the Study of Multi-Level Governance Systems

Abstract

The paper argues that the study of public administration is expanding from the study of central governments to multi-level governance systems. A preliminary conceptual framework is suggested covering four dimensions: the concept of multi-level governance system; the dispersion or reallocation of power and authority from the central government to other governing units; the revisiting of principles of governance in the coming age of multi-level governance; and the emphasis on the performance and dynamics of multilevel governance systems. Three types of multi-level governance systems are considered: the strong government model; the network governance model; and the global governance model. At the end, the author provides an example to show how the concept of multi-level governance system can be applied by describing Thailand’s multi-level governance system.