Network concepts in social theory: Foucault and cybernetics

2021 ◽  
pp. 136843102199104
Author(s):  
Vincent August
Keyword(s):  
Social Theory ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Network Governance ◽  
Network Society ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Science Methods ◽  
Social Science Methods

Network concepts are omnipresent in contemporary diagnoses (network society), management practices (network governance), social science methods (network analysis) and theories (network theory). Instigating a critical analysis of network concepts, this article explores the sources and relevance of networks in Foucault’s social theory. I argue that via Foucault we can trace network concepts back to cybernetics, a research programme that initiated a shift from ‘being’ to ‘doing’ and developed a new theory of regulation based on connectivity and codes, communication and circulation. This insight contributes to two debates: Firstly, it highlights a neglected influence on Foucault’s theory that travelled from cybernetics via structuralism and Canguilhem into his concept of power. Secondly, it suggests that network society and governance are neither a product of neoliberalism nor of technological artefacts, such as the Internet. They rather resulted from a distinct tradition of cybernetically inspired theories and practices.

scholarly journals Bringing the Law Back in the Law-Government Nexus in an Era of Network Governance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stavros Zouridis ◽  
Vera Leijtens
Keyword(s):  
Public Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Network Governance ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Public ◽  
The Law

Abstract Recently, scholars have claimed that public management theory has too much ignored law. Consequently, the under-legalized conception of public management has produced a flawed understanding of public management theory as well as public management practices, threatening public institutions’ legitimacy. In this article, we argue that law never left public management theory. Rather, the link between government and law has been redefined twice. We refer to the assumptions that constitute this link as the law-government nexus. This nexus changed from lawfulness in a public administration paradigm, to legal instrumentalism in a (new) public management paradigm, and to a networked concept in the public governance (PG) paradigm. In order to prevent a faulty over-legalized conception of public management, bringing the law back in should be built on lessons from the past. This article elaborates on three strategies to reconnect law and public management. We map the strengths and weaknesses of each law-government nexus and illustrate these with the case of the Dutch tax agency. In our strategies that aim to reconceptualize the current law-government nexus, we incorporate the benefits of each paradigm for public management theory. The revised law-governance nexus enables the PG paradigm to correspond to contemporary issues without encountering old pathologies.

scholarly journals Sociedade em Rede: Paraíso ou Pesadelo? Reflexões acerca de novas formas de articulação social e territorial das sociedades

GEOgraphia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Randolph
Keyword(s):  
Social Theory ◽  
Critical Social Theory ◽  
Network Society ◽  
Critical Social

Resumo O ensaio visa fornecer elementos conceituais da teoria social crítica a fim de permitir (i) uma leitura crítica da disseminação indiscriminada do termo “rede” e (ii) sua re- apropriação para a caracterização das transformações sociais e territoriais pelas quais passam as sociedades contemporâneas. Interroga, neste sentido, as idéias mais recentemente publicadas por Castells sobre a sociedade em rede, apontando incoerências na abordagem desse autor. Palavras-chave:redes sociais, sociedade em rede.Abstract The article aims to supply conceptual elements of the critical social theory in order to allow (i) a critical apreciation of the term “network” indiscriminate dissemination and (ii) its re- appropriation to characterize social and territorial transformations that are reshaping contemporary societies. Interrogating, in this sense, the ideas more recently published by Castells related to the network-society, pointing out incoherences in that author's approach. Keywords: social nets, network society.

scholarly journals THE POTENTIAL OF THE CROWDSOURCING AS A METHOD OF LINGUISTIC EXPERIMENT

2018 ◽  
pp. 198-204
Author(s):  
M. V. Danilchuk
Keyword(s):  
Questionnaire Design ◽  
Network Society ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Problem Statement ◽  
Project Organization ◽  
Design Choice ◽  
To Receive

The present research considers crowdsourcing as a method of linguistic experiment. The paper features an experiment with the following algorithm: 1) problem statement, 2) development, 3) and questionnaire testing. The paper includes recommendations on crowdsourcing project organization, as well as some issues of respondents’ motivation, questionnaire design, choice of crowdsourcing platform, data export, etc. The linguistic experiment made it possible to obtain data on the potential of the phonosemantic analysis in solving naming problems in marketing. The associations of the brand name designer matched those of the majority of the Internet pannellists. The experiment showed that crowdsourcing proves to be an available method within the network society. It gives an opportunity to receive objective data and demonstrates high research capabilities. The described procedure of the crowdsourcing project can be used in various linguistic experiments.

scholarly journals Theorizing Order(s) on the Internet

2020 ◽  
pp. 182-232
Author(s):  
Matthias C. Kettemann
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Legal Pluralism ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Governance ◽  
Conflict Studies ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Global Constitutionalism

Chapter 5 shows the potential of theoretical approaches to solving the normative crisis on the internet. In turn, key theories of order in the broader sense are presented and discussed. Though the majority of these theories were not posited with a view to the internet, the present study draws from their epistemic potential for the regulation of the internet. Theories (and key representatives of that theory) include systems theory (Luhmann/Teubner), constitutionalization/global constitutionalism (Pernice), transnationalism (Viellechner, Calliess), legal pluralism (Seinecke), multinormativity (Forst), network theory (Vesting), interoperability theory (Palfrey, Gasser, Weber), massive online micro justice (De Werra), conflict studies (Mueller), and infrastructuralization (DeNardis). Further, the study assesses the historically sedimented discourses on internet governance and their influence on ordering the internet as well as more recent attempts to “define online norms.”

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