Collaborative Governance
What, When, and How?
Chris Ansell
Department of Political Science
University of California, Berkeley
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.
Collaborative Governance
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.
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, Congressional
Delegation, 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
Exs: Natural Resource Management Disputes;
Regulatory Negotiation
COORDINATION
Ex: Social Work or Mental Health Case Management
PROBLEM-SOLVING/INNOVATION
Exs: Community health, Juvenile Justice, Crime
Prevention
Conditions Favoring Collaborative Governance
1. Multiple interdependent stakeholders
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 agendasetting
3. Where the character of interdependence requires multilateral
cooperation
4. Where the multi-dimensional character of issues requires
high quality communication
Institutional
Design
Antecedent
Conditions
Collaborative
Process
Leadership
Outcomes
Antecedent
Conditions
Power-ResourceKnowledge
Asymmetries
Institutional
Design
Incentives for and
Constraints on
Participation
Collaborative
Process
Prehistory of
Cooperation or
Conflict (initial
trust level)
Leadership
Outcomes
Institutional
Design
Participatory
Inclusiveness
Forum
Exclusiveness
Clear Ground
Rules
Starting
Conditions
Collaborative
Process
Leadership
Process
Transparency
Institutional
Design
Starting
Conditions
Collaborative
Process
Steward
Mediator
Leadership
Catalyst
Trust-Building
Face-to-Face
Dialogue
Commitment to
Process
Collaborative
Process
Intermediate
Outcomes
Shared
Understanding
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,
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.
Thom Reilly. 1998. “Collaboration in Action: An Uncertain
Process,” Administration in Social Work.
Colorado Nurse-Family Partnership
Darin Hicks et al. 2008. “The Influence of Collaboration on
Program Outcomes,” Evaluation Review, 32, 5: 453-477.
Eric Johnston et al. 2010. “Managing the Inclusion Process in
Collaborative Governance, JPART, 21: 699-721.