Collaboration among public organizations: a systematic literature review on determinants of interinstitutional performance

Abstract

PurposeThe concept of collaboration has received increased attention from scholars in public management, as it has been seen as a viable solution to address “wicked” problems. Solving such problems may require a horizontal collaboration within the same governmental jurisdiction or, vertically, between different levels of government. Despite broad interest from the field of public management, the dynamics of public interinstitutional collaboration have received little attention within the literature. This paper aims to provide a systematic overview of the most significant academic contributions on the topic, highlighting the features of this collaborative context and identifying determinants those can foster its performance.Design/methodology/approachIn total, two main literature streams have occasionally dealt with public interinstitutional collaboration and related performance management: the “collaborative governance” stream and “public network performance”. Through a systematic literature review (SLR), this paper answers the following research question: what has been done and what is missing in order to assess performance in the context of public interinstitutional collaboration?FindingsThe findings of this study suggest that the most relevant papers are those dealing with public interagency collaboration, as this form of collaboration presents several similarities with public interinstitutional circumstances. Furthermore, the authors provide an analysis of the main determinants of public interinstitutional performance, which highlight the effects of trust, power sharing, leadership style, management strategies and formalization on the achievement of efficient and effective collaboration between public entities.Originality/valueBy drawing on two autonomous literature streams, this paper describes the main features of public interinstitutional collaboration. It contributes to the field by offering a systematic overview of how specific performance determinants, which are widely recognized as relevant for collaboration in general, work in the specificity of public–public contexts.

The impact of coalition characteristics on outcomes in community-based initiatives targeting the social determinants of health: a systematic review

“…The findings of this review that facilitation and leadership are critical to success, are consistent with earlier reviews. Costumato [ 55 ] found that power sharing, trust, leadership style and formalisation can increase the effectiveness of public interagency collaboration. Brush et al [ 56 ] found that member diversity, power sharing, decision making, engagement, trust, conflict resolution, fair allocation of resources, and moving research into systems and policy change are critical success factors in community research partnerships.…”

“…This review included a range of interventions using systems theory, which has been absent in previous reviews [ 6 ]. The diversity of theoretical frameworks and settings in the included studies improves generalisability of results, as other notable reviews focus on one particular methodology such as CBPR [ 56 ], or setting such as the public service [ 55 ] or research [ 57 ].…”

Intersectorality and health: a glossary

“…Whereas collaboration is a fluid mechanism, 28 (intersectoral) policy and governance appear to be entities/issues with a degree of stability. Intersectoral health policy is equivalent to HiAP, defined as ‘an approach to public policies across sectors that systematically takes into account the health implications of decisions, seeks synergies and avoids harmful health impacts in order to improve population health and health equity.…”

Managing innovation on the public frontline: three approaches to innovation leadership

“…Research on innovation in public administration and management has provided crucial knowledge about the barriers and drivers of innovation (Cinar et al , 2019; Thøgersen et al , 2021; Walker, 2014), about innovation in governance (Moore and Hartley, 2008; Sørensen and Torfing, 2019; Costumato, 2021) and about the role of top-level managers (Ricard et al , 2017). However, findings suggest that the development of public policy is often decoupled from its implementation (Pihl-Thingvad and Klausen, 2020) and that top-down strategies should be combined with other, locally embedded strategies (Ryan et al , 2008).…”