Inside the black box of collaboration: a process-tracing study of collaborative flood risk governance in the Netherlands

• DOI: 10.1080/1523908x.2021.2000380
• Publication Date: 2021-11-08T16:14:12Z
• Authors: Emma Avoyan
• Keywords: Collaborative Governance; Reflexivity

Collaborative environmental governance is increasingly being used by public administrators to integrate divergent sectoral interests and deliver goods that individual organizations would fail on their own. Yet, empirical studies how exactly collaborative leads integrative outputs remain scarce. This study applies a process-tracing methodology test the hypothesized causal mechanism of collaboration dynamics leading output in case flood risk management from Netherlands, Grebbedijk. By drawing multiple data sources, analysis validates confirms dynamic interaction highly functional principled engagement, sufficient shared motivation wide range capacities for joint action process linked successful studied case. However, it also demonstrates set pre-determined action, particularly initiating leadership, procedural arrangements resources, were critical unfold successfully. The findings this suggest well-organized processes engagement facilitated adaptive connective leaders may compensate lack among collaborating parties succeed delivering desired without investing much building trust motivation.