Bibliography—A Selection

Abstract

The publication is comprised of texts from conferences given by specialists in different fields during a course on 'The System of Government and the Capacity to Govern in a Continually Changing World'. The approaches vary as in the different chapters, 'governance' is analysed in relation to local authorities and local democracy, the public order, interest groups, ethics and the economy. The complexity and difficulties of exercising executive power at all levels in the contemporary world, is the common theme analysed. Following criticism of the last decade when the state was 'voluntaristic or deterministic', now according to the authors, analyses need to be oriented towards the state's and public authorities' 'results' in general, while reducing an excess of attention on the means and organization. Also, attention should be given more fully to the human factor as the key element of public action. Although all the contributions contain general analyses, the experience of Spain is certainly central to the study.