The advent of network society – or control society (Deleuze 1995) – poses a challenge to
critical theory and practice insofar as it suggests an appropriation of democratic vocabulary
and the critical imaginary by a new managerial paradigm of ‘good governance’, hailing
empowerment, individual freedom, creativity and self-governance framed by the
democratic vocabulary of participation, transparency and accountability. Good governance
relies instruments of governance that nurtures and strategically utilizes the self-governing
potential of civil society under the strategic supervision of public authorities, seen in such
diverse areas as employment policy, police power and crime prevention, health policy and
biopolitics, employment policy, educational policy, accounting practices etc. (Bang and
Esmark, 2009).k