1. The document discusses coordination and collaboration between government agencies, focusing on different models used internationally. 2. It outlines standard coordination approaches, such as interdepartmental committees, and more innovative "joined-up government" methods involving horizontal collaboration across agencies. 3. Challenges of collaboration on complex, system-wide problems are examined through cases looking at coordination structure, accountability, and outcomes. Developing effective shared accountability remains difficult to implement fully at large scales.

1. Coordination and Collaboration
in Government
Faculty of Law
University of Zagreb
26 September 2012

2. Questions about coordination & collaboration
Why this focus?
• Horizontal, connecting trend
• Need
• Frontier question
Three parts:
1. Standard types of coordination
2. Joined-up and horizontal government
3. Collaborations on challenging problems
– System-wide and collaboration

3. 1. Basic modes of coordination
• Political coordination
– Cabinet (about 20 of ministry of 30+) = government
– Cabinet committees (eg Expediture Review Committee)
– Prime minsters office
• Central agencies (Australia)
– Policy, financial management, personnel etc
• Senior officials comittees
– e.g. Management Advisory Board/Committee
• Interdepartmental committees

4. Central coordination
• Weak and strong centres of government
• Relationship between central agencies and
with line ministries (or departments and
agencies)
• Australian central agencies
– Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
– Department of Finance
– Public Service Commission

5. Explanations for & drivers of change
• External
– Policy challenges & complexities in environment
– External threat
– Diffusion - international trends
• Internal
– Reform correction of new public management
• Devolution and disaggregation
– Growing interdependencies
– Agendas on improving performance, service
delivery & e-government

6. Steering & coordination approaches
Strategy Feature
1. Integrated Traditional bureaucracy, strong control of
hierarchical centre but transactions based
2. Prototype steering & Reconfiguring of roles around strategic
rowing centre conception, enhanced political
executive
3. Devolved Department focus & reduced central
agency roles
4. Integrated control Rebalancing of roles; central control
5. Strategic governing Strategic emphasis, national governing

7. Australian context - integrated governance
• Central agency resurrection
– Budgeting & estimates (DoFA)
– Monitoring performance & values (APSC)
– Strategic, integrating & monitoring (PM&C)
• Central monitoring of delivery
– Cabinet implementation, gateway & checkpoint
– Delivery & outcomes
• Departmentalisation
– Corporate governance review & reabsorbing agencies
– Comprehensive ministerial department?
• Whole of government
– Inter-organisational

8. 2. Joined-up meanings?
• International:
– Horizontal, whole-of-government, integrated
governance
– Common themes & variations
• Coordination recycled or new forms?
• Questions of joined-up government
– Centrality to reform program?
– Central agency driven?
• Large investment – task forces etc
– Reporting on initiatives? (eg State of the Service report)
– Commitment to cultural grounding?

9. Range of options
• Instruments
– Taskforces/teams/partnerships
– Departments/special agencies/networks
• Time dimension
– Short term exercises & crisis or durable partnerships
• Tasks
– Policy development, program management & delivery
• Structural solutions
– Combining delivery networks (eg benefits)
– Combining corporate services (eg shared services)
– Merging departments & incorporating agencies
– Joint policy & program management

10. Cases
Case Description Boundaries
Avian Flu Joint action Federal agencies
response to
short-term crisis
Centrelink Seamless service Federal agencies
delivery
Indigenous Delivering on Federal/state/
service delivery long-term social Local/NGOs
problems
AGIMO Central steering Federal agencies
of e-government

11. Strengths and limitations
Strengths & advantages
• Balancing vertical focus with horizontal
• Addressing intractable problems
• Boundary spanning
• Promoting collaboration
Limitations & challenges
• Level of commitment required
• Resource costs
• Inclinations to obey the functional imperative
• Top-down, centrally driven
• Culture as barrier to change

12. 3. Collaboration & shared accountability
• Collaboration
– Assumption about partners and focus on outcomes
– the arrangements for specifying responsibilities and
accountabilities within a collaboration based on a formal
partnership
• Type of problem: wicked & tame as points on
continuum
• Five cases based on:
– nature of coordination, policy problem, basis of
partnership,
– outcomes focus, handling of shared accountability

13. 3. Collaboration & shared
accountability
• Collaboration
– Assumption about partners and focus on outcomes
– Arrangements for specifying responsibilities and
accountabilities within a collaboration based on a
formal partnership
• Type of problem: wicked & tame as points
on continuum
• Five cases based on:
– nature of coordination, policy problem, basis of
partnership
– outcomes focus, handling of shared accountability

14. Complexity as a combination of
intractability & coordination
Coordination problem
Intractability High Low
High Wicked Agency-centred
Medium/Low Range of problems
with elements of
intractability

15. Contradictions in accountability
(Australia and New Zealand)
• Strength of vertical accountability in AU & NZ
• Shared accountability common, becoming
more formalised in NZ
• Cross-agency arrangements for AU core
agencies (including depts of state): 1800
– Service delivery
– Provision of advice and data
– Shared services
– Joined program implementation
– Governance agreements*

16. Types and case features
Type Case Features of Elements of
coordination wickedness
Internalisation Various supra, mega Depends on efficacy NA
and composite of internal
departments coordination
Minister-led Finnish system of Cross-ministries from Presumed
groupings policy programs specific programs Explicit
Ministry sectors NZ social sector Selected priorities Specified
within sectors
Lead department PSA UK Cross-system Presumed
for shared targets
Lead agency for Project Wickenby Cross-agencies focus Strong in
shared outcomes (international background (tax
element) havens)
Multi-level wicked Coordinator General Governance element Indigenous SD
coordination for Remote Areas Highly complex wicked
Cross-agency Multiple, high

17. Results by case
Case Horizontal Accountability & Issues
character outcomes
Various super Internalisation of Vertical. Dependent Limits to expansion: span of
& composite problems on internal program control
departments structure
Finnish policy Minister-led Focus on shared Horizontally weak
programmes programs outcomes, but lack of Design weaknesses
shared accountability
PSA UK Lead dept for Explicitly focused on Multiple weaknesses in
shared targets shared goals & application
across civil service targets
NZ Ministry Ministry-led series Outcomes basis Indeterminate. Being refined in
for Social of sector programs terms of results. Accountability
Development specification of partners
Project Lead agency on Focus on project Information & access at wicked
Wickenby project tasks outcomes end
Project accountability
Coordinator Specialised agency Outcomes focused Responsiveness of partners
General for for coordination of Reporting by Accountability specifications.
Remote Areas multi-level problem Coordinator General Outcomes in communities

18. Issues
• Developing an effective shared accountability
and outcomes approach
• Implications of mainstreaming
• Envisaging inter-connected, multi-level
collaborations – national and societal
dimensions
• Experiments attest to difficulties with
implementing durable schemes, particularly
at the systemic (whole of government) level

19. Conclusions
• International trends support greater
emphasis on the horizontal because of
complexity problems faced by governments
• Constraint: centrality of functional principle
in central government organisation
• More formalised solutions are growing and
experiments with coordination and
collaboration can be expected to continue