Polycentric governance is characterized by an organizational structure where multiple
independent actors mutually order their relationships with one another under a general system of rules
(V. Ostrom 1972). We argue that the idea of polycentricity is an idea whose time has come because of its
powerful implications for the discourse on post-governance. The premise is simple; governance of
complex, modern societies requires institutional diversity embodied in multi‐level, multi-purpose, multisectoral, and multi-functional units of governance.

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Araral, E. and Hartley, K. (2013). “Polycentric Governance for a New Environmental Regime: Theoretical Frontiers in Policy Reform and Public Administration,” with Ed Araral (NUS). Conference paper: First International Conference on Public Policy Grenoble, France.