A New Model of Collaborative Federalism From a Governance Perspective

Abstract

In a networked world, collaboration is rapidly becoming a mode of choice to solve ‘wicked problems’ (Meek & Thurmaier, 2011; Rittel & Webber, 1973). Governments are seeking outside counsel and policy actors to assist in providing public goods and services (Berardo, 2014). As modern society and technology have advanced, complex dilemmas have infiltrated the public sphere. With widespread complex dilemmas, most federal governmental systems lack the capacity to resolve pressing issues independently due to overlapping jurisdictional authority at the state and local level and problems that transcend multiple boundaries (Feiock, Steinacker, & Park, 2009; Mandarano, Featherstone, & Paulsen, 2008). Collaboration is best suited for a variety of dilemmas involving multiple stakeholders with shared interests, lack of resources, disagreements over the means of alleviating a problem, individuals with variable degrees of expertise, and previous attempts or inadequate governance processes in place to handle a problem (Gray, 1989). American federalism, in its current state, is fragmented and polarized, which renders traditional processes of governance insufficient to handle complex problems (Pickerill & Bowling, 2014). The coupling of wicked problems, a fragmented and polarized federal system, and ideal circumstances supporting the use of collaboration has opened a window to develop a model to explore the utility of collaborative federalism in the United States (U.S.). Models of collaborative federalism have primarily been applied to a Canadian, Australian, and European context. In Canada, collaborative federalism is conceptualized as a governance structure involving two levels of government that are working together to create national policy (Cameron & Simeon, 2002). Collaborative federalism in Australia is perceived as a formal agreement demarcating an issue, purpose, procedures for resolving a problem, and time limitations. The agreements are made by different levels of government including the Commonwealth (the federal government), states, and two self-governing territories (Saunders, 2002). Additionally, the different levels of government collectively share in accountability, administrative responsibility, and implementation protocols (Baracskay, 2012).