Introduction

Why Do We Need Collaborative Governance?

Governments and development agencies have made numerous attempts to revive rural communities across the globe.  Over the last century, top-down government-driven integrated development projects were the primary means for reviving rural areas.  These projects were solely delivered by government authorities and based on the premise that modernizing and expanding agriculture and primary production should be the primary means for developing rural regions.  These projects, however, are seen to be ineffective as they tend to lack diversity and exclude local stakeholders, where considerations regarding the local resource pool are often absent in their decision-making and strategic planning.  The success of these projects, therefore, was often limited and the results were unsustainable once state support ended. 

As such, it has become recognised that the local community must play a role in the planning and implementation process of rural revitalisation.  Their involvement enables the local knowledge to be fully appreciated and utilised, and is crucial for revitalisation projects to receive wider support and endorsement. Consequently, in the 1990s a bottom-up approach to rural development gained popularity in the West.  This approach utilises participatory methods, such as community cooperatives, interviews and surveys, designed to engage local communities and encourage rural stakeholders to lead and facilitate development.  The importance of economic diversification and the development of the service industry in rural areas through local initiatives and enterprises are also emphasised, moving away from solely focusing on agricultural production. 

The failure of top-down development and management approaches combined with the concept of governance gaining increasing traction has led to a shift away from a government-dominated approach to rural development. Meanwhile, collaborative governance is proving increasingly adept when tackling public policy problems. The encompassing nature of public policy challenges, especially sustainability issues, means that an array of groups and organisations have a stake or obligation in acting on these challenges.

Governance involves steering, rather than top-down directing, and actively engages non-state stakeholders in the collective decision-making process.  It also necessitates partnerships and coordination across multiple organisations.  Together with a range of stakeholders from the public, private and non-profit sectors, a network to solve shared problems and achieve public policy goals is formed. 

Therefore, it is hoped that learners can use the e-study to build up a basic understanding of what collaborative governance is and what kinds of potential challenges may emerge, and then further explore how a collaborative governance model can be adopted in the real world through investigating successful cases.

 
Intended Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the e-study, readers should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the concept of collaborative governance and its significance;

2. Understand the collaborative governance regime in terms of its drivers, collaboration dynamics and collaborative actions;

3. Acknowledge the benefits and challenges in adopting a collaborative governance model through case studies; and

4. Develop a critical view on whether collaborative governance is suitable for further adoption.

 

Continue to “Session 1: An Overview of Collaborative Governance Framework”