Institutional Mechanisms for Local Sustainability Collaboration
Assessing the Duality of Formal and Informal Mechanisms in Promoting Collaborative Processes
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6294310 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Angela Y S Park (0000-0003-3420-942X, Kansas State University, corresponding author), Rachel M Krause (0000-0003-1490-1996, University of Kansas), Christopher V Hawkins (0009-0005-8709-8892, University of Central Florida) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 434-450 |
| Publication date | 2021-04-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1053-1858 • E-ISSN: 1477-9803 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/jopart/muaa036 |
| OpenAlex | W3090487650 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 35 |
| References cited | 71 |
To address complex and cross-cutting policy problems, multiple independent administrative units within an organization often work together to accomplish a larger objective. Within local governments, doing this requires administrative mechanisms able to facilitate interdepartmental collaboration, through which the efforts of individual units contribute to city-wide policy goals. Research increasingly finds that informal elements of collaboration, such as casual communications, ad hoc meetings, and voluntary working groups, are important for building strong and trusting collaborative ties. Conversely, a nontrivial number of studies also suggest that formal mechanisms, such as mandates, rules, and authority, are necessary for ensuring and sustaining credible commitment over time. This research empirically examines the types of coordination mechanisms employed by US local governments to promote intragovernmental efforts to collaborate around the issue of sustainability—a complex and broad objective that transcends city departments’ traditional boundaries. It particularly focuses on assessing the relative contributions of formal and informal mechanisms toward achieving that end. Results from structural equation modeling analyses of 506 city governments indicate that informal mechanisms are positively and significantly associated with promoting cross-departmental collaboration. Interestingly, the results further show that formal mechanisms, while lacking a direct association with collaboration, have important implications for facilitating collaborative processes indirectly through their influence on informal mechanisms. Overall, our findings suggest a critical need for balancing the two approaches when forging interdepartmental collaboration. Implications for policy and future research are also discussed
Business · Casual · Informal organization · Knowledge management · Political science · Public relations · Sustainability · Work (physics · Computer Science · Local Government Finance and Decentralization · Policy Transfer and Learning · Public Policy and Administration Research · Ecology
Policy coherence and climate adaptation
The Role of Intermediate Collaborative Forums in Polycentric Environmental Governance
Revisiting an “urban legend”
Mitigating collaborative inertia
Staff support and administrative capacity in strategic planning for local sustainability
Capabilities for transformative sustainability management in cities
Economic impact of smart specialization policy in the context of multilevel governance
Hierarchical interventions and environmental collaboration among municipal governments
Understanding the Impact of Collaborative Governance on Sustainability
Social impact bond- ing ? Evidence on interorganizational relationships in social impact bonds across the United Kingdom
Sustaining collective performance data use in collaborations
Enabling and Constraining
Scrutinizing governments’ collaborative learning
Not Whether to Coordinate, But How
What advances information sharing for sustainability performance management? Empirical evidence from U.S. local governments
Leveraging shadow networks for procedural justice
Collaboration and participation in governance
Advancing Social Equity in Local Government Sustainability Actions
When Network Meets Bureaucracy
Religious Beliefs in Collaborative Environmental Governance
Understanding informal mechanisms in integrated urban water management (Iuwm)
Strategic types, implementation, and capabilities
A recipe for success? The importance of perceptions of goal agreement in cross‐sector collaboration
Exploring the impact of collaboration processes on policy networks success
Beyond reporting
Local Government's Resource Commitment to Environmental Sustainability
Explaining the Use of Influence Tactics to Achieve Intraorganizational Collective Action Around Local Sustainability
Local government managers are on the frontlines of climate change
Applying collective action frameworks to analyse local-level collaboration for electric vehicle-related policies
The Dynamics of Sources of Knowledge on the Nature of Innovation in the Public Sector
Dissecting the organization matters
Toward an effective policy mix for domestic waste management in China
Coordinating school improvement
Keeping policy commitments
How governance boundaries affect regional collaboration on atmospheric governance-Evidence from China's Yangtze River Delta
Eight Myths About Causality and Structural Equation Models
Evaluating the Productivity of Collaborative Governance Regimes
Multivariate Data Analysis
Multivariate Data Analysis.
Self-Organization and the Role of Government
Social Structure of “Coopetition” Within a Multiunit Organization
Theorizing collaboration practice
Mediation Analysis in Social Psychology
Common method biases in behavioral research
Social structures
Bowling Alone
Information-sharing in public organizations
Does Collaboration Make Any Difference? Linking Collaborative Governance to Environmental Outcomes
Elucidating the Linkages Between Entrepreneurial Orientation and Local Government Sustainability Performance
When Collaboration Is Risky Business
Regional Cooperation and Multilateral Agreements in the Provision of Public Safety
Understanding Affective Organizational Commitment
Civic Engagement and Sustainable Cities in the United States
Desperately Seeking Selznick
Three Traditions of Network Research
Collaboration Processes
The Importance of Being Trusted
Interlocal Service Cooperation in U.S. Cities
In the shadow of hierarchy’
The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research
The Impact of Administrative Structure on the Ability of City Governments to Overcome Functional Collective Action Dilemmas
What Does Sustainability Mean to City Officials
Conclusion
The Impact of Nonprofit Collaboration in Early Child Care and Education on Management and Program Outcomes
The Impact of Organizational Context and Information Technology on Employee Knowledge‐Sharing Capabilities
A Preliminary Theory of Informal Accountability among Network Organizational Actors
Inside Collaborative Networks
From Planning to Implementation
Interlocal collaboration and local climate protection
Games Real Actors Could Play
An Integrative Framework for Collaborative Governance
Examining the Links between Senior Managers’ Engagement in Networked Environments and Goal and Role Ambiguity
Knowledge Sharing in Public Sector Organizations
Does Collaboration Improve Organizational Efficiency? A Stochastic Frontier Approach Examining Cities’ Use of EECBG Funds
Multinetwork Management
Is Hierarchical Governance in Decline? Evidence from Empirical Research
Conceptualizing and Measuring Collaboration
Exploring the Determinants of Network Effectiveness
Modes of Network Governance
Governing the Hollow State
Big Questions in Public Network Management Research
Informal Accountability in Multisector Service Delivery Collaborations
Networks in Public Administration Scholarship
Studying Governance and Public Management
Coordinating the Government Bureaucracy in Hong Kong
Collaborative Governance in Theory and Practice
Collaborative Public Management
Organizations and Markets
Reconsidering Baron and Kenny
| Unique citing works | 35 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 7 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 34 |