Defining, achieving, and evaluating collaborative outcomes: a theory of change approach

Valeria Guarneros‐Meza · James Downe · Steve J. Martin

31 citations0/0 files storedPublic Management Review

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Public Policy and Administration Research Evaluation and Performance Assessment Community Health and Development

Abstract

Governments have repeatedly claimed that collaboration improves public service outcomes. However, defining, achieving, and evaluating collaborative outcomes is often problematic. Analysis of multi-sectoral projects in Wales, which were supported by the European Social Fund, exemplifies these challenges. Shifts in policy discourses and the interplay between national and local agendas produced complex and contested understandings of outcomes which made difficult to evaluate the projects’ achievements. We argue that the pursuit of collaboration needs to be understood not simply as an attempt to improve public service effectiveness but also ‘cultural efficacy’. The conclusions offer reflections relevant for theory and practice.

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References

1973Dilemmas in a general theory of planning 2006Collaborative Planning: Shaping Places in Fragmented Societies 2006The Design and Implementation of Cross‐Sector Collaborations: Propositions from the Literature 1995A Preliminary Theory of Interorganizational Network Effectiveness: A Comparative Study of Four Community Mental Health Systems 2006Collaborative Public Management: Assessing What We Know and How We Know It 2003Theorizing collaboration practice 2006Gaming in Targetworld: The Targets Approach to Managing British Public Services 2010THE IMPACT OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT ON OUTCOMES IN GOVERNANCE NETWORKS

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