About the Institute

We're changing - ANZSOG Institute for Governance

Commencing 1st June 2009, Professor Mark Evans formerly at the University of York (UK) will be the inaugural ACT government sponsored Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) Professor in Governance and Director of the Institute, renamed the 'ANZSOG Institute for Governance'.

Institute members can download the podcast of Professor Evans inaugural Institute presentation on Post-war Reconstruction and the World Bank: the Case of Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Programme.

The formation of the ANZSOG Institute for Governance consolidates a long term synergy between the aims of the Institute and ANZSOG.

Established as a collaboration between eight Australian and New Zealand governments and fourteen higher education institutions (including the University of Canberra), the ANZSOG name is becoming increasingly synonymous with public sector education.  ANZSOG works in the areas of education and research and aims to make genuine, practical improvements to public management and policy and the provision of government services.

The overlap in our distinctive but related aims has long been the basis for a less formal relationship. It is envisaged that the change will enable us to work more closely with ANZSOG in developing our particular area of interest – promoting, educating and research good governance. We will continue to service the corporate and not-for-profit sectors as well as the public service, but believe that the change will enable us to develop faster, particularly in the area of research.

What is 'governance'?

The term governance is used in two main ways - in its broadest sense, it refers to how a country is run, and specifically to how power within a society is maintained, exercised, delegated and limited.

In the context of an organisation or 'corporate' governance, it is the way in which decisions important for the future of organisations are taken, communicated, monitored and assessed. It includes the processes an organisation has for holding managers accountable and measuring performance.

Our mission

The ANZSOG Institute for Governance, as a hub at the University of Canberra, aims to promote interdisciplinary and collaborative research in governance to deepen theory, advance knowledge and improve practice, in a way that is of significance to scholars and practitioners in Australia and internationally. The Institute seeks to examine and explore the complex governance issues in key areas of strength at the University of Canberra across the public, private and community sectors.

Our focus

Our focus is taken from the complex governance issues arising at the interface of the public, private and community sectors. The changing boundaries across the sectors give rise to many new questions such as:

• how will public, private and community organisations ensure they have the structures and processes that maximise their performance?
• how will public, private and community organisations determine their rights, obligations and powers of the stakeholders?
• how are citizens to be assured of a voice?
• how can the public, private and community sectors relate and learn from each other?

The Institute provides a major new point of contact for governments, business, policy makers, scholars and practitioners with an interest in Australia's expertise on governance issues.