Can Islands of Effectiveness Thrive in Difficult Governance Settings? The Political Economy of Local-level Collaborative Governance
Many low-income countries contend with a governance syndrome characterized by a difficult combination of seeming openness, weak institutions, and strong inter-elite contestation for power and resources. In such countries, neither broad-based policy...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
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2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20111011150735 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3608 |
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okr-10986-36082021-04-23T14:02:11Z Can Islands of Effectiveness Thrive in Difficult Governance Settings? The Political Economy of Local-level Collaborative Governance Levy, Brian ACCOUNTABILITY AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW BANKS BEST PRACTICE BINDING CONSTRAINTS BRIBE BRIBES BUREAUCRACY BUREAUCRATIC ACTORS BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS COALITIONS COLLECTIVE ACTION CONSTITUTIONS CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CORRUPT CORRUPTION CREDIBLE COMMITMENT DECISION MAKING DECISION-MAKING DEMOCRACY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS DISCRETION DYSFUNCTIONAL GOVERNANCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE ECONOMICS EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS EMPIRICAL BASIS EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS ENVIRONMENTS EQUILIBRIUM EXCHANGE OF IDEAS FINANCIAL RESOURCES FISHERIES FISHING FORMAL INSTITUTIONS GOOD GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE INSTITUTIONS HISTORIANS INCOME INITIATIVE INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS INTEGRITY JUSTICE LEADERSHIP LEGAL FRAMEWORKS LOCAL COMMUNITY LOCAL LEVELS MARGINAL COST MONOPOLY NATIONAL LEVEL PATRONAGE POLICY MEASURES POLICY REFORM POLICY REFORMS POLICY RESEARCH POLITICAL DYNAMICS POLITICAL ECONOMY POLITICAL ELITES POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL STABILITY POLITICAL STRUGGLE POLITICIANS POOR PERFORMANCE PRESIDENCY PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROCUREMENT PROPERTY RIGHTS PUBLIC AGENCIES PUBLIC BUREAUCRACY PUBLIC EXPENDITURES PUBLIC GOOD PUBLIC GOODS PUBLIC MANAGEMENT PUBLIC RESOURCES PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNANCE PUBLIC SERVICE PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION PUBLIC SERVICES REVOLUTIONS SANCTION SANCTIONS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SERVICE DELIVERY SOCIAL COST SOCIAL LEARNING SOCIAL NORMS SOCIAL RETURNS SOCIAL SCIENCES STATE FAILURE TRANSPARENCY TRANSPARENT INFORMATION VIOLENCE Many low-income countries contend with a governance syndrome characterized by a difficult combination of seeming openness, weak institutions, and strong inter-elite contestation for power and resources. In such countries, neither broad-based policy nor public management reforms are likely to be feasible. But are broad-based approaches necessary? Theory and evidence suggest that in such settings progress could be driven by "islands of effectiveness" -- narrowly-focused initiatives that combine high-quality institutional arrangements at the micro-level, plus supportive, narrowly-targeted policy reforms. This paper explores whether and how local-level collaborative governance can provide a platform for these islands of effectiveness. Drawing on the analytical framework developed by the Nobel-prize winning social scientist Elinor Ostrom, the paper reviews the underpinnings of successful collaborative governance. It introduces a simple model for exploring the interactions between collaborative governance and political economy. The model highlights the conditions under which coordination is capable of countering threats from predators seeking to capture the returns from collaborative governance for themselves. The relative strength in the broader environment of two opposing networks emerges as key -- "threat networks" to which predators have access, and countervailing "trumping networks" on which protagonists of effective collaborative governance can draw. The paper illustrates the potential practical relevance of the approach with three heuristic examples: the governance of schools, fisheries, and road construction and maintenance. It concludes by laying out an agenda for further empirical research, and suggesting what might be the implications of the approach for future operational practice. 2012-03-19T18:05:28Z 2012-03-19T18:05:28Z 2011-10-01 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20111011150735 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3608 English Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5842 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper The World Region The World Region |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
ACCOUNTABILITY AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW BANKS BEST PRACTICE BINDING CONSTRAINTS BRIBE BRIBES BUREAUCRACY BUREAUCRATIC ACTORS BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS COALITIONS COLLECTIVE ACTION CONSTITUTIONS CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CORRUPT CORRUPTION CREDIBLE COMMITMENT DECISION MAKING DECISION-MAKING DEMOCRACY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS DISCRETION DYSFUNCTIONAL GOVERNANCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE ECONOMICS EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS EMPIRICAL BASIS EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS ENVIRONMENTS EQUILIBRIUM EXCHANGE OF IDEAS FINANCIAL RESOURCES FISHERIES FISHING FORMAL INSTITUTIONS GOOD GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE INSTITUTIONS HISTORIANS INCOME INITIATIVE INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS INTEGRITY JUSTICE LEADERSHIP LEGAL FRAMEWORKS LOCAL COMMUNITY LOCAL LEVELS MARGINAL COST MONOPOLY NATIONAL LEVEL PATRONAGE POLICY MEASURES POLICY REFORM POLICY REFORMS POLICY RESEARCH POLITICAL DYNAMICS POLITICAL ECONOMY POLITICAL ELITES POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL STABILITY POLITICAL STRUGGLE POLITICIANS POOR PERFORMANCE PRESIDENCY PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROCUREMENT PROPERTY RIGHTS PUBLIC AGENCIES PUBLIC BUREAUCRACY PUBLIC EXPENDITURES PUBLIC GOOD PUBLIC GOODS PUBLIC MANAGEMENT PUBLIC RESOURCES PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNANCE PUBLIC SERVICE PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION PUBLIC SERVICES REVOLUTIONS SANCTION SANCTIONS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SERVICE DELIVERY SOCIAL COST SOCIAL LEARNING SOCIAL NORMS SOCIAL RETURNS SOCIAL SCIENCES STATE FAILURE TRANSPARENCY TRANSPARENT INFORMATION VIOLENCE |
| spellingShingle |
ACCOUNTABILITY AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW BANKS BEST PRACTICE BINDING CONSTRAINTS BRIBE BRIBES BUREAUCRACY BUREAUCRATIC ACTORS BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS COALITIONS COLLECTIVE ACTION CONSTITUTIONS CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CORRUPT CORRUPTION CREDIBLE COMMITMENT DECISION MAKING DECISION-MAKING DEMOCRACY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS DISCRETION DYSFUNCTIONAL GOVERNANCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE ECONOMICS EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS EMPIRICAL BASIS EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS ENVIRONMENTS EQUILIBRIUM EXCHANGE OF IDEAS FINANCIAL RESOURCES FISHERIES FISHING FORMAL INSTITUTIONS GOOD GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE INSTITUTIONS HISTORIANS INCOME INITIATIVE INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS INTEGRITY JUSTICE LEADERSHIP LEGAL FRAMEWORKS LOCAL COMMUNITY LOCAL LEVELS MARGINAL COST MONOPOLY NATIONAL LEVEL PATRONAGE POLICY MEASURES POLICY REFORM POLICY REFORMS POLICY RESEARCH POLITICAL DYNAMICS POLITICAL ECONOMY POLITICAL ELITES POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL STABILITY POLITICAL STRUGGLE POLITICIANS POOR PERFORMANCE PRESIDENCY PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROCUREMENT PROPERTY RIGHTS PUBLIC AGENCIES PUBLIC BUREAUCRACY PUBLIC EXPENDITURES PUBLIC GOOD PUBLIC GOODS PUBLIC MANAGEMENT PUBLIC RESOURCES PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNANCE PUBLIC SERVICE PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION PUBLIC SERVICES REVOLUTIONS SANCTION SANCTIONS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SERVICE DELIVERY SOCIAL COST SOCIAL LEARNING SOCIAL NORMS SOCIAL RETURNS SOCIAL SCIENCES STATE FAILURE TRANSPARENCY TRANSPARENT INFORMATION VIOLENCE Levy, Brian Can Islands of Effectiveness Thrive in Difficult Governance Settings? The Political Economy of Local-level Collaborative Governance |
| geographic_facet |
The World Region The World Region |
| relation |
Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5842 |
| description |
Many low-income countries contend with a
governance syndrome characterized by a difficult combination
of seeming openness, weak institutions, and strong
inter-elite contestation for power and resources. In such
countries, neither broad-based policy nor public management
reforms are likely to be feasible. But are broad-based
approaches necessary? Theory and evidence suggest that in
such settings progress could be driven by "islands of
effectiveness" -- narrowly-focused initiatives that
combine high-quality institutional arrangements at the
micro-level, plus supportive, narrowly-targeted policy
reforms. This paper explores whether and how local-level
collaborative governance can provide a platform for these
islands of effectiveness. Drawing on the analytical
framework developed by the Nobel-prize winning social
scientist Elinor Ostrom, the paper reviews the underpinnings
of successful collaborative governance. It introduces a
simple model for exploring the interactions between
collaborative governance and political economy. The model
highlights the conditions under which coordination is
capable of countering threats from predators seeking to
capture the returns from collaborative governance for
themselves. The relative strength in the broader environment
of two opposing networks emerges as key -- "threat
networks" to which predators have access, and
countervailing "trumping networks" on which
protagonists of effective collaborative governance can draw.
The paper illustrates the potential practical relevance of
the approach with three heuristic examples: the governance
of schools, fisheries, and road construction and
maintenance. It concludes by laying out an agenda for
further empirical research, and suggesting what might be the
implications of the approach for future operational practice. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Levy, Brian |
| author_facet |
Levy, Brian |
| author_sort |
Levy, Brian |
| title |
Can Islands of Effectiveness Thrive in Difficult Governance Settings?
The Political Economy of Local-level Collaborative Governance |
| title_short |
Can Islands of Effectiveness Thrive in Difficult Governance Settings?
The Political Economy of Local-level Collaborative Governance |
| title_full |
Can Islands of Effectiveness Thrive in Difficult Governance Settings?
The Political Economy of Local-level Collaborative Governance |
| title_fullStr |
Can Islands of Effectiveness Thrive in Difficult Governance Settings?
The Political Economy of Local-level Collaborative Governance |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Can Islands of Effectiveness Thrive in Difficult Governance Settings?
The Political Economy of Local-level Collaborative Governance |
| title_sort |
can islands of effectiveness thrive in difficult governance settings?
the political economy of local-level collaborative governance |
| publishDate |
2012 |
| url |
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20111011150735 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3608 |
| _version_ |
1764387422676713472 |