The Opportunities and Constraints to Collaboration in Public Sector Management

Abstract

This article synthesizes current insights about the opportunities and constraints to collaborative public management. Despite the swath of research on collaboration there has been little attempt to present the opportunities and constraints in a single article that articulates both perspectives coherently. Drawing on an extensive literature review, the main arguments are that collaboration presents opportunities to maximize scarce resources and improve public services delivery. Yet, the difficulty in evaluating the outcomes of collaboration as well as accountability and power-sharing issues remain key constraints. The article concludes that public managers need to critically ponder both perspectives in making decisions.