Revisiting old friends: networks, implementation structures and the management of inter-organizational relations

. Most of the current work on network analysis tends to concentrate on the relationship between actors and the context within which various actors engage in the formulation of public policy. Consequently, analysis of the inter‐organizational structures through which this policy is implemented receives less attention. In this article attention is drawn to questions concerning the management of inter‐organizational networks as the vehicles for carrying out policy programmes. At the same time, an argument is made for using the term ‘network’not only as an analytical concept but also to denote collectivities that are consciously constructed for the realization of purposeful joint action.