The governance of collaboration for sustainable development: Exploring the “black box”

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production 2020-05, Vol.256, p.120260, Article 120260
• Main Authors: Vazquez-Brust, Diego, Piao, Roberta Souza, de Melo, Mary Fernanda de Sousa, Yaryd, Rodrigo Trotta, M. Carvalho, Marly
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Collaboration; Mechanisms of governance; Sustainable development goals
• ISSN: 0959-6526; 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120260

Private sector collaboration for sustainable development remains a “black box” in terms of collaborative governance mechanisms: the specific arrangements or types of collaboration used by multiple actors to come together and implement and oversee rules to align their efforts towards shared goals. Therefore, a theoretical framework is needed to guide the design of collaborative efforts towards the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) . We address such a need, using a systematic literature review to conceptualize the main dimensions of collaborative governance (hierarchy, formalization, centralization), and the factors influencing the impact of collaborative governance choice on sustainable development outcomes. Our results highlight that there are different types of collaboration as a governance mechanism for progress towards Sustainable Development Goals and that alternative governance arrangements should be combined. We also found that the success of collaboration is contingent not only on governance-specific dimensions but also on the type of SDG and the type of partners involved. •There is not a one-size-fits all type of collaboration for progress towards SDG.•Alternative governance arrangements should be combined.•The nature of transactions is important for defining the type of collaboration.