Luhmann's work on political governance, impact, and steering remains underexplored in the English-speaking world. This book aims to fill this omission by bringing together Luhmann’s key writings on this part of his political sociology.  Effective steering in dynamic systems may involve sending signals and observing the effects, rather than attempting to control every aspect. Traditional action theory fails to address the complexities of political steering because it oversimplifies causal relationships and cannot adequately handle the unpredictable nature of complex systems. Luhmann advocates for a second-order cybernetic approach that accounts for the observer's role in understanding control and steering. His approach reveals shortcomings of those political theories that fail to recognize the limits of political power and the indirect, and often unpredictable ways that that politics influences other systems and society as a whole.

About the editor of the book

Dr Christian Morgner is Professor at the University of Portsmouth and Adjunct Professor at Keio University. Prior to these appointments, he was Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield, Lecturer at the University of Leicester, held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Hitotsubashi University, and worked as an Affiliated Researcher at the University of Cambridge. He has also held visiting fellowships at Yale University, University of Lucerne, KU Leuven, and École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. Dr Morgner has published widely on Niklas Luhmann, systems theory, social theory, and political sociology.

About Niklas Luhmann

Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998) was Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Bielefeld University.

About the authors of the Afterword

Steven Watson is Associate Professor in Transdisciplinary Studies at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on social theory, education, political sociology, and systems-theoretical approaches to governance and public policy.

Barry Gibson is Professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Sheffield. His work explores sociological systems theory, oral health, Grounded Theory, and health and consumption.