Global partnerships have transformed international institutions by creating platforms for direct collaboration with NGOs, foundations, companies and local actors. They introduce a model of governance that is decentralized, networked and voluntary, and which melds public purpose with private practice. How can we account for such substantial institutional change in a system made by states and for states? Governance Entrepreneurs examines the rise and outcomes of global partnerships across multiple policy domains: human rights, health, environment, sustainable development and children. It argues that international organizations have played a central role as entrepreneurs of such governance innovation in coalition with pro-active states and non-state actors, yet this entrepreneurship is risky and success is not assured. This is the first study to leverage comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis that illuminates the variable politics and outcomes of public-private partnerships across multilateral institutions, including the UN Secretariat, the World Bank, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

‘Governance Entrepreneurs is a pioneering account of the emergence, diffusion and institutionalization of global public-private partnerships. In this innovative and important book, Liliana B. Andonova persuasively shows that coalition-building agents can build effective public-private partnerships as part of what she calls 'an iterative cycle of change'.’

Robert O. Keohane - Professor (Emeritus), Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, New Jersey

‘International organizations and national governments increasingly form global partnerships with corporations, philanthropies, and activist groups to promote human health, environmental protection, human rights and development. Andonova combines sophisticated theory with nuanced empirical analysis to explain the emergence of this new form of global governance. In a major contribution to the literature, she shows that global partnerships are not simply reflections of systemic change but reflect self-conscious efforts by entrepreneurs within international organizations seeking to promote institutional mandates in the face of political, financial and social constraints. This book is required reading for anyone who wants to understand how the world will address global problems in the decades ahead.'Ronald Mitchell, University of Oregon

Ronald Mitchell - University of Oregon