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Understanding the Realities of Collaborative Networks in the United States

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Abstract

Networks have become such an accepted part of our understanding of how public programmes and policies can be achieved that we have almost taken them for granted. Although they have not replaced our bureaucratic institutions and hierarchical, authoritative ways of operation, they surely now stand alongside of them. Unfortunately, this general acceptance has often turned into an idealistic complacency, one in which our focus is more on the promises of networks, rather than the realities of them. The end result of this has been failures that could have been avoided, learning opportunities missed and an increasingly ‘bad name’ for networks. Of particular note are the problems that arise in collaborative networks.

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© 2008 Myrna P. Mandell

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Mandell, M.P. (2008). Understanding the Realities of Collaborative Networks in the United States. In: Considine, M., Giguère, S. (eds) The Theory and Practice of Local Governance and Economic Development. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230582682_4

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