Decentred theory is Bevir's interpretive approach to governance. Instead of studying institutions as objective structures, it 'decentres' them by examining the contingent beliefs and practices of the individuals who create them [citation:8]. It holds that patterns of governance arise from the bottom-up, as products of human activity, shaped by the diverse traditions and dilemmas actors face [citation:2][citation:8]. This approach uses narratives to explain actions by relating them to the beliefs and desires that produced them, emphasizing that governance is a social construction [citation:4].

Traditional governance theories, such as rational choice or network institutionalism, often rely on positivist assumptions to explain political outcomes [citation:8]. Bevir argues these approaches 'read off' beliefs from objective social facts, which is philosophically untenable [citation:12]. His interpretive approach, by contrast, emphasizes intentionality, historicism, and reflexivity [citation:2]. It moves away from formal models and frameworks to focus on the subjective and inter-subjective meanings that inform the actions of policy actors, promoting a more eclectic and storytelling-based methodology [citation:2][citation:10].

In 'The State as Cultural Practice,' co-authored with R.A.W. Rhodes, Bevir argues for a 'stateless state' [citation:3]. This concept rejects the view of the state as a fixed, monolithic institution [citation:2]. Instead, it posits that the state is a set of contingent beliefs and practices performed by individuals [citation:3]. By decentering the state, they put the people back into the study of governance, analyzing how the state is continuously constructed and reconstructed through the meaningful activity of its agents [citation:3].

Bevir's decentred theory has been applied to a wide range of policy domains. For example, it has been used to analyze European governance, exploring how policy is a contingent construction of actors inspired by competing beliefs [citation:4]. In public administration, it has informed studies on public sector reform, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and rules of thumb for managers [citation:10]. It has also been applied to security studies and counter-terrorism, examining how different actors' interpretations shape policy in these fields [citation:7].

These three concepts are central to researching governance from a decentred perspective. 'Narratives' are the stories people use to make sense of their world and explain practices and events [citation:4]. 'Rationalities' refer to the diverse social scientific beliefs and technologies that govern conduct and are drawn upon to construct policies [citation:4]. 'Resistance' highlights how actions from other policy-makers or citizens can lead to adaptation or rejection of elite plans, making governance a contested practice [citation:4].

Mark Bevir is best known for pioneering the 'interpretive' or 'decentred' approach to governance. He is widely recognized for his extensive collaborations with R.A.W. Rhodes, producing landmark works like 'Interpreting British Governance' and 'The State as Cultural Practice' [citation:3][citation:11]. He is also the author of the authoritative textbook 'Governance: A Very Short Introduction' [citation:1][citation:5] and the critical book 'Democratic Governance', which examines the dangers posed to democracy by new governance theories [citation:9].