Exploring the Tensions of Collaboration among International Public Agencies

Abstract

Drawing upon interagency collaboration literature, the paper investigates the specific tensions faced by international public organizations called to deliver jointly while characterized by significant institutional diversity and substantial autonomy. The empirical analysis of Delivering as One, the most tangible and visible response to the request of system-wide coherence in development activities undertaken by the United Nation System, is based on 79 semi-structured interviews, documentary analysis and direct observations that we obtained both in the Headquarters (Geneva and New York) and in the field (UN Delivering as One Country team in Tirana, Albania). The findings show that collaboration among international agencies is characterized by four collaborative tensions (integration vs specialization, unity vs diversity, vertical accountability vs horizontal accountability, support versus double standards), thus contributing to the nascent stream of research that conceptualizes international organizations qua public organizations. Furthermore, it advances the literature on public sector collaboration by (i) enriching the understanding of the complex nature of vertical accountability; (ii) improving the knowledge of the role of external stakeholders in interagency collaborations.