COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE, WHAT DRIVES IT AND WHAT MAKES IT WORK?

This research contains an in-depth research on collaborative governance processes in the transformation of neighbourhoods to gas-free districts. The national government introduced several fieldlabs in 2018 to experiment with both the technical aspects and social aspects. After three years of fieldlabs, this process showed itself as difficult because of technical dispute and governance issues. Collaborative governance is about bringing multiple stakeholders together and engage them in decision-making. The framework of collaborative governance used in this research is based on the framework of Ansell and Gash (2007) and Emerson et al. (2011) and investigates the importance of the starting conditions, drivers and elements of this form of governance. The research is conducted through a qualitative research method with two case studies: Garyp and Van der Pekbuurt, The Netherlands. The results show that good collaboration experiences in the past contribute to an easier course of the process, because a level of trust was already established. Also, to get all stakeholders on board in the process a balance between knowledge and power, especially between the professional and non-professional stakeholders is important. It is the role of the professional stakeholders to inform the involved residents. A clear institutional design has the strongest positive influence on collaborative governance processes. Clear rules and role definitions result in stakeholders know what is expected from them within the complex process. Next to this, transparency contributes to better insight in each other’s’ interest, ambitions and way of doing (mutual understanding). Within the collaborative governance process, this research found a relationship between mutual understanding, trust and commitment to the process. These elements are experienced as important for successful outcomes in the transformation of fieldlabs. To implement collaborative governance, it is important to understand the context and identity of the case you are working in, also understand how complex this issue is and to reduce uncertainty a clear institutional design is necessary. Nevertheless, even though the complex is this complex, don’t forget to make the process human and accessible for everyone involved.