Engaged government: A study of government - community engagement for regional outcomes. Report 1: Project overview

The devolution of government business to regional government/community partnerships, coupled with the call for greater policy coherence, is challenging all levels of government and communities to collaborate in new ways to deliver regional outcomes. There is little empirical research to guide public managers in determining best value arrangements and strategic investments for building a region’s ‘collaborative advantage’. This project will examine the conditions (strategic, structural and procedural) under which multi-sectoral collaboration can deliver policy coherence and positive regional outcomes and identify the costs, benefits, trade-offs and capacities associated with effective multi-sectoral collaboration. Case studies for the project are being sourced in the central Queensland region. The project is being designed to explore some theoretical issues as well as a series of practical considerations about engagement processes. Key methodologies will be drawn from the political science, sociology and economics disciplines, and an action research framework will be adopted to maximise the value of project outcomes and engagement with industry partners. This report outlines the broad context in which the studies will be undertaken.