The concept of collaboration windows on the example of world cases

Abstract

The article presents the concept of the collaborative windows as a tool for establishing cooperation between the maximum number of stakeholders to solve problems of different hierarchical levels. Through the synthesis of theoretical developments by B. Gray, J. Kingdon, and D. Lobster, the author proposes an integrative model of the collaborative window by crossing four relatively independent flows, namely: problem, procedural, political response, and organizational-structured ones. The researcher notes that except for the outlined components, external triggers and the figure of the collaborationist politician with a developed network of contacts play an important role in maintaining the potential of the collaboration window to further unite all stakeholders on a single collaboration platform. The latter serves as a space to facilitate the establishment of communications and the trust formation between the participants of the collaboration. But even the presence of all these elements does not guarantee the longevity of joint cross-sectoral projects due to the lack of adaptive capabilities of temporal and spatial factors because of their dynamic nature. The researcher also outlines some issues with the creation of collaborative platforms such as liquidity traps, power distribution, common accountability standards, and monitoring of participants’ actions. The article presents not only a schematic model of the collaboration window, but also examples from the world practice of cooperation between public, private, and civil sectors. The author also analyzes the transformation of urban infrastructure within the EU on an integrative model, highlighting the relevant flows and platforms of joint interaction. The collaborative window technique can be applied to a different range of common practices, as the outlined flows take place in virtually every policy area.