The Promise of
Collaborative
Governance
Successful Community
Engagement
ASSOCIATION OF BAY AREA
GOVERNMENTS
Collaborative Governance
Collaborative governance is characterized
by informed, reasoned and inclusive
discussions, usually involving tradeoffs and
seeking consensus-oriented conclusions,
intended to influence public sector decisionmaking.
And maybe… embedded in the workings of
government over time.
Purposes and Benefits
 Make plans/policies - solve
complex/divisive problems
 Meet legal requirements
 Discover/understand public’s
preferences
 Promote informed and engaged citizens
 Promote inclusiveness (fairness and
justice)
 Encourage Government legitimacy,
transparency, trust
Network Governance
“Governance is no longer about government but
now involves fluid action and power distributed
widely in society….
Effective participation requires a systems
perspective that supports and builds on the
interactions among public sector agencies,
nonprofits, business organizations, advocacy
groups, and foundations which make up the
complex evolving reality of contemporary
society.”
David Booher and Judith Innes
“Perhaps our institutions created in democratic
countries during the 19th and 20th centuries
are no longer adequate. If so, then
democracies need to create new institutions to
replace the old.”
Robert Dahl, On Democracy
Public Forum Flow Chart
Process Influence
Format
Purposes
Issue
Framing
Participation
Communication Strategy
New
Public
Outcomes
Knowledge