aes17

Rachel Eberhard (Eberhard Consulting)

Collaborative governance is the practice of engaging stakeholder organisations in policy decisions. Both researchers and practitioners recommend collaborative governance to address complex and intractable policy issues. Yet governance practice in water policy in Australia and internationally shows limited and variable adoption of collaborative approaches. There is a lack of critical thinking about how and why governments use collaborative approaches, and their impact on outcomes. 

Drawing on realist evaluation, this research examines the rationales and practices of governments and stakeholder organisations as they interact in key decision points of two longitudinal case studies in Australian water policy - the Murray Darling Basin and the Great Barrier Reef.  More than 40 interviews across multiple levels and organisations were used to understand the logic of institutional decisions about the objectives and modes of engagement. Findings highlight significant constraints to the adoption of collaborative governance as envisaged in the normative literature. Conditions that enable effective governance and the potential impact on governance outcomes are identified. 

This research makes an important methodological contribution extending the application of realist evaluation from the behaviour of individuals to the functioning of governance networks. As a novel approach the work adds value to the growing field of governance assessment, and in so doing seeks to contribute to the better design and operation of purposeful governance structures to addressing complex and challenging policy issues.