Why does it matter?

A host of reasons have been advanced in this book to explain the steady and continuing growth of collaborative working across the UK public policy landscape, including the interdependence and complexity of problems; the fragmentation of organisational and institutional arrangements; and the blurring of the boundaries between different levels and sectors of governance. Cross-boundary working has emerged as a central plank in local and national government policy approaches, and there is every likelihood that this will continue in the future, albeit in different forms. A considerable amount of managerial and organisational resources are devoted to collaborative activity in an effort to reap the benefits of this form of working and to secure real improvements in the quality of lives of citizens and service users. However, as has already been intimated, the rewards of collaborative working are not always readily apparent – they are difficult to measure, they often take time, and the problematic nature of this form of working solely tests the resilience of even the most hardened advocates of collaboration. In relation to health and social care, Powell et al (2004, p 314) conclude that: ‘research that brings together rigorous and systematic evidence of the outcomes, causality and costs of partnerships has yet to be conducted’.

Clearly, in these circumstances, it is critically important to understand ‘what works’ and what needs to be done to design and deliver the most effective and sustainable forms of collaboration. Although policy makers and practitioners can learn through experience and practice, there is a role for robust and high quality theory and research to inform the policy community. The mantra of ‘evidencebased’ policy making has been prominent for the last decade, although in reality its rhetoric often outweighs its impact on the ground. Coote et al (2004) conclude that evaluation and research have had only a marginal impact on policy design and practice in general, and Weiss (1998) reflects that it is comparatively rare for research to have a direct influence on policy decisions. The difficulties of realising evidence-based policy making revolve around the timeliness of research, the relationship between researchers and policy makers, the political convenience or contestability of the findings, the appreciation of research methodologies and the effectiveness of dissemination techniques.