Assessing network-based collaborations

This article suggests that network collaborations are likely to vary in important ways depending on the nature of the issue/challenge being addressed and the range of stakeholders involved. Collaborative networks are more likely to emerge in policy settings where negotiated accommodations among stakeholders are seen as necessary and appropriate, and thus where technical solutions are not feasible. Under these conditions of negotiated objectives and processes, with complex causal pathways, 'effectiveness' becomes more problematic to determine. Networks bring to the table a diversity of stakeholder views and thus diverse perspectives about goals, processes, and outcomes. Evaluating network-based governance arrangements is complex because policy and programme processes and change management have become more complex. Evaluation needs to consider the sustainability of good processes ('built to last'), as well as the achievement of desired service outcomes (e.g. greater benefits for citizens).