Lecture 6

Question 1

What is the improvising society?

Answer 1

A diffrent perspective as:

A diffrent way to view:

• society itself (social reality), social order (how do we organsie social reailty), public administrattion

Question 2

What are the three pillars/conditions of the improvising society accoridng by boutellier?

Answer 2

1. Network society
2. Information society
3. World without borders

Question 3

What is the network society?

Answer 3

Refers to the infrastructure of nodes (individuals and organizations) and
the relations among them

Question 4

What is the information society?

Answer 4

Points to the technological conditions for networks

Question 5

What is a world without boundaries?

Answer 5

Global dimensions of current society

Question 6

How does Boutellier view social order?

Answer 6

• Society is complex, without clear direction
• Social order therefore is not given
• No direction, so order is “to be found in routines, work patterns, and experience”
  > “Life goes on” – mentality

Certain measure of sustainability
> = “Responsible continuity or conservation”

Develops within multitude of activities
“Dynamic continuity

Question 7

Hoe does Boutellier view public administration?

Answer 7

• Public administration as the ordering/organisation
  of society > How to order/organise social complexity?
   Boutellier’s answer: improvisation!
   Not just as spontaneity….
   But also as fine-tuning, or rather attunement
   Improvisation is not: ‘just do something, anything’
   But: ‘just do something, but in accordance with
  circumstances, conditions and surrounding people’

Improvising society” refers to all improvising
 = The totality of tuning processes

Governance (intervention) in an improvising society
is the organisation of fine-tuning, or rather attunement (afstemming)

Question 8

Under what three events does attunement/givernace take place accoridng by Boutellier?

Answer 8

1. Incidents
2. Initiatives
3. Centers of gravity

Question 9

What are incidents according by Boutellier?

Answer 9

> Contingencies

> Sense of urgency

Question 10

What are initiatives according by Boutellier?

Answer 10

Intentional actions (from individuals)

Question 11

What is center of gravity according by Boutellier?

Answer 11

Organizations or institutions that matter the most in certain policy
areas”
> Creators of the social/political field

Very important organisations or institutions in our societal
make up

Question 12

What is improvisation in de context of governance accorrding by Boutellier?

Answer 12

1. The spontaneous formation of interventions
   (through policy), which takes place in…
2. A specific historically determined and embedded setting/practice and…
3. A given common way of doing/dealing with things

Question 13

What is the impact of the improvising society?

Answer 13

The improvising society makes us both free and organized

Question 13

What is the impact of the improvising society?

Answer 13

The improvising society makes us both free and organized

Question 14

What is the impact of the improvising society?

Answer 14

The improvising society makes us both free and organized

Question 15

What does the centers of gravity create?

Answer 15

The policy ‘playing field’:

Form landmark for policy formation & execution
> E.g.: hospitals create health care policy conditions.

What is practiced in
institutions = striving for
morally desired
outcomes

Question 16

How does institutional ‘practices’ determine ‘public morality’

Answer 16

It creates the way how we think about what is right and wrong

Question 17

Why do institutions have a special role?

Answer 17

Institutions are important anchors (‘centers of
gravity’) when designing interventions
 …Because they are the places & organisations in which
we collectively strive for morally desired outcomes
 …This striving is what institutions practice
 …And these practices are key to our improvisations

Question 18

How can the art (Fukuyama) of Improvisation (Boutellier) be summarised?

Answer 18

Governance = improvisation = organising attunement

1. The spontaneous formation of interventions, which
   takes place in…
2. A specific historically determined and embedded
   setting/practice and…
3. A given common way of doing/dealing with things