Contemporary societies are faced with a seemingly neverending torrent of complex, stubborn and sometimes intractable problems and issues. These are diverse in nature, crossing time and space – they can be local, national, global or intergenerational – and their management and resolution challenges public agencies and governments to the utmost. Climate change, sustainable development, health inequalities, asylum seekers, terrorism and crime, poverty and exclusion, poor housing, unemployment and lack of educational attainment are but a few of these ‘wicked issues’ – but they all share a common thread – they do not respect conventional boundaries of profession, organisation and governance. Rather, they are entangled in a complex web of problem definition, causes, solutions, priorities and resources. What is most important is that it has been the increasing recognition by policy makers and governments over a number of years that the management of these types of problems and issues cannot be resolved by single agencies and actors operating independently, instead, they demand collaboration – forms of cooperative behaviour designed to secure the most effective, efficient and responsive outcomes for service users, citizens and communities.

The nature and trajectory of this collaborative imperative has been manifested in different ways in the UK and across the world, but there is little doubt that it will continue to shape the character of future public policy and management. Arguably, the enduring ‘age of austerity’ has placed increased demands upon public authorities to work together towards jointly agreed goals and outcomes. A considerable body of research and experience has been accumulated on the practice of collaboration in public policy. What is particularly apparent from this work is how complex and challenging it is in design and delivery, and most salutary of all, the evidence of its success is far from overwhelming. Researchers and practitioners have invested significant time and resources into endeavouring to understand what makes an effective collaboration – the determinants and factors that combine to deliver agreed upon outcomes. The evidence suggests that these are a complex interplay of both structure and agency, but with considerable debate as to their interaction and precedence.