Abstract
AbstractInstitutional collective action (ICA) dilemmas, or situations where authorities’ particularistic incentives are misaligned with collective interests, are ubiquitous where authority is fragmented among multiple or overlapping governments. Extant researchers have examined how policymakers overcome ICA dilemmas and promote collective action through institutions and relationships that lower collaboration uncertainty and risk. Yet, one factor conspicuously overlooked in this process is the role of collective learning or the degree to which institutions acquire, assimilate, and apply shared knowledge to achieve collaborative aims. In this chapter, we inquire how collective learning relates to governments’ ability to overcome ICA dilemmas and improve collaborative governance through three pathways, and put forward propositions as to how such learning can reduce ICA barriers and enhance future collaboration.
Highlights
Finding ways for governments to overcome institutional collective action (ICA) dilemmas is important for policymakers and researchers
We examine the role of collective learning in employing alternative integrative mechanisms for overcoming ICA dilemmas
One way actors build knowledge in collaboration is through focusing on intermediate outcomes or “small wins” (Ansell & Gash, 2008; Huxham & Vangen, 2005). This approach is similar to what Feiock and Scholz (2010) discuss in terms of addressing first-order dilemmas such as coordinating joint efforts for planning and fact finding, before tackling second- order dilemmas such as cooperating in resource exchanges. This evolution of collaboration lends itself to collective learning: Actors build a foundation for learning as they gather information, resolve coordination issues, and achieve intermediate outcomes, and build knowledge incrementally through the cooperative application of information towards collective aims
Summary
Fragmentation of authority presents opportunities and challenges for governance. Multiple and/or overlapping political boundaries and jurisdictions can benefit governments by expanding citizen choice, increasing policy experimentation and knowledge diffusion, and reducing public expenditures (Andersson & Ostrom, 2008; McGinnis, 1999; Ostrom, Tiebout, & Warren, 1961; Schneider, 1986). Learning is believed to be a key facilitator of collaboration, social networking, and institutional change (Ansell, Lundin, & Öberg, 2017; Koontz, Gupta, Mudliar, & Ranjan, 2015) To unpack this relationship, we posit a dynamic, iterative process through which collaboration leads to collective learning, which can subsequently enable governments to share and expand knowledge to better overcome ICA dilemmas in the future, or exacerbate such dilemmas if actors collectively learn to be more opportunistic. We posit a dynamic, iterative process through which collaboration leads to collective learning, which can subsequently enable governments to share and expand knowledge to better overcome ICA dilemmas in the future, or exacerbate such dilemmas if actors collectively learn to be more opportunistic This iterative relationship lends itself to theories of collaborative governance evolution in that governments with little or no history of collaboration begin by solving smaller, “first-order” coordination problems of information exchange before taking on larger, “second-order” cooperation problems (Feiock & Scholz, 2010) such as formalizing collaborative institutions. This section describes ICA’s intellectual foundations, components, and applications to knowledge governance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
