Collaboration in Public Policy and Practice

"an important contribution toward understanding collaboration." Voluntas

"We know that agency can be key to collaborative success. Now thanks to this highly original, accessible and well-researched book, we have a much better understanding of who the key agents are, what they do and how they do it. A sound investment for policy makers, practitioners and academics." Helen Sullivan, Director, Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne, Australia

"Partnership working has long been the holy grail of public services delivery, but has been addressed by endless structural reconfigurations. In this excellent book on the role and nature of 'boundary spanners', Williams shifts the focus onto the people who really make partnerships work effectively." Professor Bob Hudson, School of Applied Social Sciences, Durham University

Paul Williams is a Reader in Public Management and Collaboration, Cardiff School of Management, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. He has been involved in teaching for 10 years which has included formal teaching on accredited programmes and teaching on management development/leadership programmes primarily to a public and third sector audience. Since 2005 he has been lecturing on Strategic Management on MBA and Undergraduate Programmes. His teaching contribution at the Cardiff School of Management has primarily been focused on the strategic management core module of the MBA.

Introduction; Policy context: Intra and intersectoral collaboration; Structure and agency; The role and competencies of boundary spanners; Challenges in the boundary spanning role; Learning from the private sector; We are all boundary spanners now? Implications for policy and practice; Reflections and conclusion.