An evidence based model for co governance between government and communities

Dr Shona Bates and Associate Professor Fiona Haigh from the International Centre for Future Health Systems, with colleagues from the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre, led the development of an evidence based model of co-governance – recently published in the Australian Journal of Public Administration.  Co-governance—government and community sharing decision-making—is being used to respond to complex issues but is not well understood. The study gathered evidence from three examples of co-governance in Australia to develop a model that considers when to consider co-governance, and the process to establish, implement, and monitor co-governance and the factors that support this process. The model can be used by government and community organisations to consider whether co-governance is appropriate and, if so, how to implement it. The model can also be a platform for future research.  The project was funded by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government with the NSW Government. The resulting guide supports communities and government agencies interested in implementing co-governance.