If institutions are to achieve the aspirations of democratic polities, they must not only avoid failure but also perform at a high level.  Thus, our concern is to understand the ways institutions can be structured to further the values that justify their existence.  We tackle this through interdisciplinary solutions involving ethical standard setting, legal regulation and institutional reform with two foci:  

• institutional governance: from small firms to global institutions - recognising both common governance issues and radically differing contexts
• bad governance and institutional failures: from ineffectiveness and maladministration to corruption and state failure

Unlike any previous network, GovNet allows complete disciplinary coverage and a coherent, comprehensive plan for focussed, problem-oriented research.

Our network members have very significant national and international collaborations with:

• universities and other research institutions
• end-users in government and business
• professional and non-government organisations

For example, the existing links that we have with international foundations, international agencies and the United Nations itself, are being enhanced by a formal link with the United Nations University.  This gives us access to the UN Secretariat in a crucial period of assessment for the whole institutional architecture of global relations.  

To join, please complete the membership application. 

Membership Benefits

• free registration at our conferences
• email notification of all our events
• assistance with the cost of attendance for selected events
• networking with other governance researchers and practitioners
• access to a suite of online tools via our website

To learn more about our objectives and funding, please visit our resources page.