Collaborative Governance

Chris Ansell

Department of Political Science

University of California, Berkeley

What, When, and How?

Collaborative governance is about multiples: we use it to manage conflict, improve coordination, and harness creativity where we have multiple stakeholders engaged in multilateral interactions about multi-dimensional issues.

A governing arrangement where one or more public agencies directly engage non-state stakeholders in a collective decision-making process that is formal, consensus-oriented and deliberative and that aims to make or implement public policy or manage public programs or assets.

Collaborative Governance

The Desert Tortoise Steering Committee

Cities and Counties: Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Mesquite

Nevada State Offices: Office of Governor, CongressionalDelegation, Dept. of Wildlife, Dept. of Agriculture, Farm Bureau

Federal Agencies: Fish & Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service

Industry Groups: Summa Corp., So. Nevada Homebuilders Assoc., Joyce Advertising, Nevada Cattleman’s Assoc., Nevada Mining Assoc.

Environmental Groups: Desert Tortoise Council, TORT Group Nevada, Defenders of Wildlife, NRDC, EDF, Nature Conservancy

ADJUDICATION

COORDINATION

PROBLEM-SOLVING/INNOVATION

Exs: Natural Resource Management Disputes; Regulatory Negotiation

Ex: Social Work or Mental Health Case Management

Exs: Community health, Juvenile Justice, Crime Prevention

2. Weak or absent hierarchy; where success depends on the voluntary commitment or investment of independent stakeholders or where stakeholder ideas or opinions are important for agenda-setting

Conditions Favoring Collaborative Governance

1. Multiple interdependent stakeholders

3. Where the character of interdependence requires multilateral cooperation

4. Where the multi-dimensional character of issues requires high quality communication

Antecedent Conditions

Leadership

Institutional Design

OutcomesCollaborative Process

Power-Resource-Knowledge Asymmetries

Prehistory of Cooperation or Conflict (initial trust level)

Incentives for and Constraints on Participation

Antecedent Conditions

Leadership

Institutional Design

OutcomesCollaborative Process

Starting Conditions

Leadership

Institutional Design

Collaborative Process

Participatory Inclusiveness

Forum Exclusiveness

Clear Ground Rules

Process Transparency

Starting Conditions

Leadership

Institutional Design

Collaborative Process

Steward

Mediator

Catalyst

Face-to-Face Dialogue

Trust-Building Commitment to Process

Shared Understanding

Intermediate Outcomes

Collaborative Process

Four Process Thresholds

(1) Stakeholders agree to “come to the table.”

(2) Stakeholders recognize other stakeholders as legitimate interlocutors

(3) Stakeholders have a commitment to the collaborative process itself

(4) Stakeholders develop a sense of “joint ownership” of the process

Ansell, C. and A. Gash. 2008. “Collaborative Governance in Theory and Practice,” JPART,

Thom Reilly. 1998. “Collaboration in Action: An Uncertain Process,” Administration in Social Work.

Eric Johnston et al. 2010. “Managing the Inclusion Process in Collaborative Governance, JPART, 21: 699-721.

Darin Hicks et al. 2008. “The Influence of Collaboration on Program Outcomes,” Evaluation Review, 32, 5: 453-477.

Colorado Nurse-Family Partnership

C. Ansell and A. Gash. 2012. “Stewards, Mediators, and Catalysts: Towards a Model of Collaborative Leadership,” The Innovation Journal, 17, 1.

The Desert Tortoise Case

J. Wondolleck and S. Yaffee. 2000. Making Collaboration Work. Island Press.