Studio & Labor
Distributed Governance
A workshop by Simon Höher

At its heart, distributed governance invites us to rethink how societies sense, adapt, and act collectively. It challenges us to confront the unthinkable futures shaped by historical power dynamics and colonial legacies, while exploring the affordances and parasitic relationships that define our systems. Through the lens of context steering and systemic capabilities, we will examine how distributed approaches can foster regenerative, inclusive, and adaptive pathways forward.

This course explores the concept of distributed governance—a decentralised, collaborative approach to self-steering societies that embraces radical diversity, acknowledges the complexity of interconnected systems, and seeks to transform institutions for a regenerative future. Through a mix of theory, practice, and hands-on experimentation, we address three key questions:

- How can we design governance systems that learn from the past while intentionally shaping a desirable future?
- What would it take to transform our social, economic, and political systems into collaborative, co-creative, and regenerative ecosystems?
- Who—or what—drives such transformations, and what is this mean for our shared responsibility toward the future?

Drawing on work from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), EIT Climate-KIC, Chôra, and Dark Matter Labs, we examine innovative frameworks for collective sensing, mission-oriented innovation (Mazzucato), and systemic change. The course is structured around three perspectives:

Theoretical Foundations: Understanding the principles of distributed governance and complex systems thinking.
Translation and Transfer: Bridging theory with real-world challenges through case studies and practical applications.
Praxis (Lab): Designing interventions and experimenting with new approaches to governance innovation.

This course offers an opportunity to critically engage with emerging ideas in governance, challenge conventional assumptions, and explore pathways toward a fairer, more democratic, and sustainable future.

Your performance will be graded based on three equally weighted components: (1) your continuous participation and critical input in class, (2) your individual or small-group work during the lab phases, and (3) a brief presentation (10–15 minutes) on one of the assigned mandatory readings, which you select in advance and present at the beginning of a session.