Non-seeing, Non-thinking and Non-learning in Governance

The Return of the Unobserved and the Challenge of Sustainability

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

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A critical exploration of how non-learning functions in governance and its significance in understanding how policies can adapt to grand challenges such as sustainability. As societies and governments are faced with mounting challenges, particularly in the form of environmental threats, new demands are being placed on government systems which must embrace new modes of learning and observation in order to transform policies. Here, Kristof Van Assche and Monica Gruezmacher seek to emphasize the importance of understanding 'epistemic negatives' - non-observing, non-thinking and non-learning - in governance. Drawing on governance theory, critical management studies, policy studies and psychoanalysis, this study shines a light on the way unseen structures of knowledge influence the way we govern ourselves and our environment, and identifies how we can begin to overcome the dangers this poses to good governance. The book puts forward that not understanding the role of negative knowledge in governance is not truly understanding governance, and that these negatives must be fully observed in order to implement viable solutions to grand challenges that emphasize long-term strategy building, diverse observations and understandings of system-environment relations.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-10-15
Mått156 x 234 x 25 mm
Vikt454 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor272
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN9781350540552

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List of FiguresPreface1. Governance as a setting and a goal2. Observing and thinking in governance 3. Learning in governance4. Learning, dark learning and non-learning5. Non-observation: reasons and mechanisms6. Non-thinking: reasons and mechanisms7. Non-learning: reasons and mechanisms8. Reconsidering the relation between thinking and organizing9. The return of the unobserved?Epilogue: The power of negatives and the positive transformation of governanceIndex

'Why do governance systems fail to see, think, and learn? In this bold and thought-provoking book, Van Assche and Gruezmacher uncover the hidden forces shaping decision-making—what is ignored, dismissed, or simply unseen. Through a masterful blend of governance theory, psychology, and critical analysis, they reveal how blind spots, selective inattention, and institutional inertia create governance failures and sustainability crises. Packed with fresh insights and real-world relevance, this book is a must-read for policymakers, scholars, and changemakers eager to rethink governance for a more adaptive, responsive, and sustainable future.’