Three Readings of the Concept of Governance

This commentary builds on Jean-Louis Denis' comprehensive review of the Canadian health governance literature to explore three interpretations of its function: as an analytical tool, a guide for structural reform and a symbolic or divinatory discourse. While the built-in flexibility of the concept of governance enables cross-provincial comparisons in structurally diverse systems, its high level of abstraction risks diluting its practical value. As a guide for reform, the literature struggles to offer cumulative, actionable knowledge. The commentary then examines the possibility that governance discourses serve more to legitimize political decisions than to inform them, functioning rhetorically rather than empirically.