Facilitating collaboration in publicly mandated governance networks

Central and local governments are increasingly inclined to mandate governance networks in order to spur collaborative solutions to wicked problems. However, institutional logics of government are likely to impede cross-sector collaboration in such networks. This article develops a theoretical framework for analysing the role of network managers in facilitating collaboration in publicly mandated governance networks and applies it in a multiple-case study of three Local Crime Prevention Councils in Denmark. The study shows how the most effective network managers adapt the institutional design to local conditions and link the publicly mandated networks to self-convened stakeholder networks.