治理術是福柯前期權力譜系學與后期主體倫理學研究之間重要的轉渡概念。狹義上的治理術代表了政治現代性的歷史進程,它源起于牧領權力,經由基督教牧領制度的整合,從國家理性開始賦形,后演變為自由主義,最終發展為當代新自由主義的治理形式。廣義上的治理術提供了"分析權力關系的框架"。在此框架下,福柯發掘出牧領權力、生命權力等新權力形式,并重新解讀了主權權力。就研究內容而言,治理術涵蓋政治治理術和人的治理術:前者的譜系學凸顯了一些獨特要素,如個體性權力、治理的內在性邏輯及自由等;后者涉及倫理主體的自我治理,它是反抗現代國家個體與全體相結合的治理術的可能途徑。福柯最終將治理術定義為統治他人技術與自我技術的結合。

Governmentality is an important transitional concept which combines Foucault’s power and his later study on ethical self-fashioning. In a specific sense, governmentality represents the historical course of political modernity, which originated as Hebraic pastoral power and developed into Christian pastorate before formalized itself as political governmentality forms of raison d’état, liberalism and neo-liberalism successively. In a broader sense, governmentality serves as "the analytical grid for the relations of power," employed by Foucault to uncover pastoral power and bio-power, and to shed new light on sovereign power. As to the content studied, governmentality covers both political government and governing of humans, with the former featuring individualizing power, immanent rationality and freedom, etc., and the latter ethical subject, which may help untie the "double bind" of the simultaneous individualization and totalizaiton of state government. Governmentality was finally defined as the encounter between the technologies of domination of others and those of the self.