Am I My Brothers’ Keeper? A Critical Review of Mandated Collaboration Research

To synthesize and examine the growing literature on mandated collaboration, we conducted a critical literature review of the growing literature on mandated collaboration, asking what the field of public administration knows about its purposes, mechanisms, contexts, and performances. Mandated collaboration occurs when a third party requires and enforces collaboration among other potential collaborators. We find four takeaways: (a) mandators require collaboration to address complex problems; (b) mandators enforce collaboration through hierarchical authority and market-based incentives; (c) mandated collaboration occurs across several policy contexts; and (d) the context surrounding the collaboration affects its success. We conclude with three unknowns, regarding how mandated collaboration achieves policy goals, if mandators are collaborators, and the willingness of participants required to collaborate. Our review enhances public administration's understanding of collaborative governance by offering insight into the governance tool of mandating collaboration, contexts under which it succeeds, and steps for future research.