Individuals in Collaborative Governance for Environmental Management

Author(s)

Zambrano-Gutierrez, Julio Cesar ; Valente de Macedo, Laura Silvia ; Barda Picavet, Marc Eric ; Puppim de Oliveira, Jose Antonio

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Environmental Management; v. 71, n. 3, p. 22-pg., 2022-08-08.

Abstract

Analyzing the effect of individual participants on collaborative governance processes in environmental management has been elusive due to lack of theoretical frameworks and data limitations. This study uses pattern matching to contrast identity theory with original data from 7 individuals participating in waste management and urban agriculture collaboration in Florianopolis, Brazil. What started as a self-organized initiative to manage an environmental problem, due to precarious waste management services, was scaled up to a citywide policy. Findings demonstrate that as the collaboration evolved over time, individual participants in municipal government transitioned between roles, organizations, and departments which affected their influence on the collaboration according to two transition styles: integrators (overlapping different roles) and segmenters (aligning roles with contexts without ambiguity). While the integrator-style participants were key to increasing sectoral diversity during the activation stage of the collaboration to produce innovative actions, segmenters contributed to formalizing the collaboration with appropriate institutional designs. However, the success of the collaboration after the institutionalization stage depended on the individual transition style and the power of municipal agents to have agency for influencing the collaboration. These findings have implications for adapting collaborative settings to respond to contextual changes that involve urban environmental issues. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/26505-5 - Understanding innovation capabilities in the public sector: the case of local governments in developing countries
• Grantee: Marc Eric Barda Picavet
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/20714-1 - Understanding innovative initiatives for governing food, water and energy nexus in cities
• Grantee: Laura Silvia Valente de Macedo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 17/50425-9 - Understanding innovative initiatives for governing food, water and energy nexus in cities
• Grantee: José Antonio Puppim de Oliveira
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants