ABSTRACT
Complex policy networks present management challenges in state government. The actions of complex policy networks are not fully governable by state government and yet state government remains ultimately responsible for public policy implementation. Complex policy networks illustrate tensions between the ideal bureaucracy in which centralized organizations operate under a command-and-control framework, and the collaborative arrangements between the public and nonprofit sectors that typify the contemporary environment of public policy implementation. The current understanding of complex policy networks has moved beyond the conceptualization of policy communities of entrenched interests that stymie implementation to explore networks as a positive force in policy implementation. Challenges for state government include governance arrangements, building capacity, and measuring performance of complex policy networks.
