Harnessing sensing systems towards urban sustainability transformation

Recent years have seen a massive development of geospatial sensing systems informing the use of space. However, rarely do these sensing systems inform transformation towards urban sustainability. Drawing on four global urban case examples, we conceptualize how passive and active sensing systems should be harnessed to secure an inclusive, sustainable and resilient urban transformation. We derive principles for stakeholders highlighting the need for an iterative dialogue along a sensing loop, new modes of governance enabling direct feeding of sensed information, an account for data biases in the sensing processes and a commitment to high ethical standards, including open access data sharing.

Blockchain in Outer Space

Blockchain technology has spurred the emergence of powerful narratives to promote new ways of governing outer space. The list of proposed uses for blockchain applications in outer space is endless—from property registries for asteroid mining, to supply chain management systems, or interplanetary cryptocurrencies for the space economy—along with Elon Musk claiming that “SpaceX is going to put a literal Dogecoin on the literal moon.” Yet, thus far, none of these projects have gone beyond simple declarations or white papers, mostly due to the inherent limitations on the effective enforcement of blockchain-based rules outside of their own technical framework. In this essay, we argue that blockchain technology is relevant for outer space because it fosters novel narratives advancing possible futures characterized by new modes of governance. The strongest and most prominent of these narratives is the crypto-libertarian one, which draws heavily on the absence of a state, the sanctity of property, and the primacy of private ordering through decentralized markets. But there are other narratives proposed by relevant actors in the blockchain space that are dedicated to other modes of governance. By focusing on alternative narratives for blockchain technology, we illustrate how the possible applications of blockchain technology in outer space may extend beyond the current libertarian dreams, to support a more commons-based approach to outer space governance.

From Centralized Energy Generation and Distribution to Clean Energy Communities: Exploring New Modes of Governance for the Energy Sector

Community management is swiftly developing into a central research field in management literature. A growing body of conceptual and empirical studies is concerned with different aspects of communities, their initiation, management, and termination. One sector that offers a particularly exciting research topic in this respect is the energy sector. We elaborate on the radical transition of the energy industry from large, centralized power-generation facilities to a much more decentralized, community-based production of energy. We scrutinize the theoretical perspectives on managing communities and distinguish between different modes of governance for the production of energy. We also consider recent European Union initiatives that will have a noteworthy effect on the transition process. Our typology shows that the necessary management tasks vary across different types of coordination. Eventually, the establishment of clean energy communities might challenge the very identities of established utility providers.

Broadening the limits of reconstructive leadership: Constructivist elements of Viktor Orbán’s regime-building politics

Hungary’s political backsliding, which has transformed it from a former frontrunner of liberal democracy in the post-communist region to an illiberal and/or authoritarian state, has puzzled political scientists. As a contribution to understanding the problem of Viktor Orbán’s leadership and the regime change, we apply Stephen Skowronek’s concept of ‘reconstructive leadership’. The politics of reconstruction, with an emphasis on the introduction of new standards of legitimacy and the mobilisation of support for new modes of governance, leaves ample room for appreciating the role of political leadership. Through an analysis of three policy areas (constitution-making, macroeconomic and immigration policy) related to Orbán’s efforts at reconstruction, we argue that the Hungarian case underscores the formative role of agency even more than in Skowronek’s original conception. Reviewing possible criticisms of Skowronek’s perspective and some recent literature about ‘discursive institutionalism’, we argue that the Hungarian case makes a vital correction to the Skowronekian concept, suggesting the value of taking a more constructivist approach.

Σύγχρονες Μορφές Διακυβέρνησης στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση: Η Περίπτωση του Ευρωπαϊκού Ομίλου Εδαφικής Συνεργασίας

The process of European integration poses pressures for new modes of governance in the European space, allowing for the development of subnational mobilization. The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) constitute a formal type of cross-border, inter-state and inter-regional co-operation aiming at improving social, economic, and territorial cohesion. This article focuses on the EGTCs as a new mode of multi-level governance. It is argued that motivation for participation in an EGTC stands for an essential precondition for attracting new members, however, is not suffi cient taking into account intervening variables which have an impact upon subnational mobilization.

New Governance in the EU after the Euro Crisis—Retired or Reborn?

This chapter explores the place of new modes of governance among the EU’s legal acts ‘after’ the onset of the sovereign debt and euro crises. While the last decade has seen a period of supposed decline in such instruments, the chapter argues that the euro crisis has returned an altered form of new governance to prominence as a way of managing complex, multilevel problems that traditional regulation cannot easily solve. The empirical drift back to new governance instruments is also examined normatively. Analysing the development of the European Semester, the chapter questions the suitability of new governance instruments to the harmonizing tasks to which they are currently being put. By abandoning the earlier focus of new governance on experimental policy learning between states, the EU may also be abandoning the most promising impact of new governance instruments on the EU’s legal architecture.