In the UK, constitutional reform and devolved government are changing the relationships between local, regional and national government. Thus, the nature of governance provides a highly important and continuing intellectual challenge for social science research.
People's participation and sense of identity is a major issue, not only in the UK, but also at wider European and international levels.
This theme covers the UK, EU and worldwide perspectives, and is also concerned with establishing knowledge about specific areas of the world in terms of governance, conflict and security.
The theme focuses on the distribution of power and balance of responsibilities between people and governments. It spans local communities to international institutions, and embraces issues of culture, trust, new information technologies and public management and administration.
The changing boundaries between public and private agencies, and the changing instruments of regulation and accountability, raise important questions about governance and the responsibilities and rights of people - be they shareholders, consumers, or members of the public.