Theoretical coordinates and typology of governance definitions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Leila Shams 1
Heidar Najafi Rastaghi 2
Mahdi Abdolhamid 3
1 Public administration in Allameh Tabatabie University,Tehran ,Iran
2 Department of Public Policy and Administration, Faculty of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, School of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Department of Management and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Faculty of Management, Economics and Progress Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
10.22047/hsd.2025.498280.1053
Abstract
Challenges confronting states in recent years have significantly impacted how societies are governed and how public services are delivered adequately. This issue has led to the introduction of the governance approach emphasizing networking and leveraging the resources and capacities of actors and stakeholders from diverse sectors. Given the varied interpretations of governance by scholars and researchers, each emphasizing specific aspects based on their respective areas of expertise, a wide range of definitions of governance has emerged in the literature. This study employs thematic synthesis to examine various definitions of governance, as different scholars propose. Ultimately, the study categorizes these definitions into seven broad categories: structure, function, process (procedure), role, mechanism, level, goals and outcomes. Each of these categories encompasses subcategories that can accommodate various definitions of governance, thereby reducing conceptual confusion among researchers and facilitating the appropriate application of the governance concept in their studies.
Keywords
Governance
Network
Actors
Governing
Thematic synthesis
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Development of humanities
Volume 6, Issue 11 - Serial Number 11
Humanities
Volume 6, Spring & Summer 2025, No.11
September 2025
Pages 151-177