Collaborative Governance in Theory and Practice
Chris Ansell, Alison Gash
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
The research approach
Synthesizes published collaborative governance cases across policy sectors to develop a contingency model of how public agencies and other stakeholders collaborate.
What the research finds
Collaboration depends on starting conditions, participation incentives, leadership and institutional design; small shared achievements can strengthen trust, commitment and mutual understanding.
Why it matters for management
Helps public administrators consider the institutional arrangements and relationships needed to coordinate stakeholders around policy implementation and intelligent public services.
Scope & limitations
A synthesis of existing cases identifies contextual patterns; it does not establish a universally effective governance structure or isolate every factor's causal contribution.
