The term "governance" has become one of the most widely used in debates in Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations--often to mean very different things. Written by two leading political scientists, "Governance, Politics and the State is the first systematic introduction to its nature, meaning, and significance. Its central concern is with how societies are being, and can be, steered in an increasingly complex world where states must increasingly interact with and influence other actors and institutions to achieve results.