Edited by Paul Dragos Aligica, Professor, University of Bucharest and Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center at George Mason University and Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and Founding Director, Center for Governance and Markets, University of Pittsburgh, USA

• ContentsIntroduction: modus vivendi and polycentric governance systems 1Paul Dragos Aligica and Jennifer Brick MurtazashviliPART I Foundational perspectives 221 Liberalism, modus vivendi, and polycentricity: mapping theterrain 23David McCabe2 From ideational to social: reframing modus vivendi 52Aylon Manor3 Two perspectives on the problem of peaceful coexistence:John Gray’s modus vivendi and David Mitrany’s functionalism 74Robert Gabriel CiobanuPART II Exploratory case studies 944 Embracing polygamy: a modus vivendi response to the humanrights position 95Rebecca Yemo5 Blockchain contractualism as modus vivendi: a praxis forreconfiguring post-colonial state-building 111Kaleb Demew6 Liberal democracy, non-Western governance, and theBloomington School 135Bryan Cheang7 The government of things: acknowledging non-human agentsin institutional design 153Alexandru Stefan Dincovici8 Modus vivendi, polycentricity, and “decolonizing” the studyof the urban–rural divide 171Kris Kanthak9 Coproduced collective security and the resilience of modusvivendi pluralism 185Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ali Palida

‘This fascinating volume is packed with insightful contributions exploring the affinities between modus vivendi political theory and governance arrangements based on polycentricity. The editors and authors are to be congratulated for producing a collection, encompassing both abstract philosophical analysis and applied case studies, that will inform and inspire future work in political economy.’