The Devolution of Implementing Policymaking in Network Governments

A modern government must delegate considerable authority to its implementing institutions. In a federal system, sovereignty boundaries necessarily skew the allocation and monitoring of this implementing policymaking. Each federal system pursue an equilibrium in its own way. The United States (US) follows a traditional strategy of dividing the central (federal) government from the subunit (state) governments. The European Union (EU) commingles implementing authority and hence can best be understood as a network. The complexity of this network is mind boggling. Webs of policy influence move down from the central government, up from the member states, horizontally among the states, across special interests and within the central and state institutions. The network complicates the achievement of good government objectives, such as participation, accountability and transparency. Much can be learned from EU efforts at attaining these objectives in its network government. Contrast with the US's divided and hierarchical federalism illuminates these lessons. Since many national and supranational government can best be understood as network governments, these lessons have global significance