Samenvatting

In the last decades, society has developed towards fragmentation and pluralism, while government has experienced a process of ‘hollowing out the state’. In response a new form of governance has emerged in recent years: societal resilience. In this form of governance, crafting communities of active citizens take the lead in creating public value. Government is at best one of the actors that contribute; at worst it is a hindrance for solutions in the lifeworld of citizens.
In this article a horizontal, self-guiding society is criticized, as well as other late- or postmodern approaches to governance. Based on literature review, the author argues that different meanings of verticality are still important in governing society: devotion, hierarchy, authority and power. These meanings are applied to reducing conflict, complexity and uncertainty, and building institutions that fit our late- or postmodern society.