Civic festivals and collaborative governance
| Published date | 01 March 2018 |
| Author | Sandro Cabral,Dale Krane |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020852315615196 |
| Date | 01 March 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
International Review of
Administrative Sciences
2018, Vol. 84(1) 185–205
!The Author(s) 2016
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852315615196
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International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
Article
Civic festivals and collaborative
governance
Sandro Cabral*
Federal University of Bahia and Insper, Brazil
Dale Krane*
University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA
Abstract
Civic festivals offer an exceptional laboratory for the study of collaborative governance
because these events are ubiquitous and are characterized by public and private part-
ners engaged in joint activity. Using the Carnival festival of Salvador, Brazil, as an
example, we analyze the current models of collaborative governance to determine
whether they apply to the context of large civic festivals. Drawing primarily on Ansell
and Gash’s (2008) model, our qualitative analysis shows that some constructs of col-
laborative governance models are present. However, our results uncover other factors
affecting the collaboration process such as informal relationships and the basis of deci-
sion-making. Our results also suggest that trust, a factor commonly argued as necessary
to collaborative action, may be less critical than received theories suggest.
Points for practitioners
Large civic festivals are a unique laboratory for studying inter-organizational collabor-
ation because these events normally involve a myriad of public and private actors
working in an interdependent fashion. Our study reveals some factors not covered
by previous research that influence the dynamics of collaboration. We observe that
repeated interactions between technical experts can foster informal (and effective)
networks of collaboration and circumvent the problems generated by political disputes.
The bases on which decisions are taken are also important factors to enhance collab-
oration. We found that trust, a factor commonly argued as necessar y to collaborative
action, may be less critical than received theories suggest.
Corresponding authors:
Sandro Cabral, Federal University of Bahia – School of Management, Av.Reitor Miguel Calmon, s/n – 3. Andar
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil 40110-903.
Email: scabral@ufba.br
Dale Krane, University of Nebraska at Omaha – School of Public Administration, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha,
NE, USA 68182.
Email: dkrane@unomaha.edu
*Both authors contributed equally and list their names alphabetically on joint work.
Keywords
civic festivals, collaboration, collaborative governance
Introduction
Inter-organizational collaboration becomes particularly crucial in situations where
the desired objectives and the proposed missions cannot be achieved by a single
entity alone and a myriad of individuals and organizations are required. Studies of
collaboration affirm that the shift from conflict to cooperation does not come easily
because several conditions are necessary for collaboration to emerge, including the
need for financial resources and sharing of risks, disposition to collaborate, high
levels of interdependence, goal congruence, leadership capacity and style, and trust
(Alter and Hage, 1993; Bryson et al., 2006; Thomson and Perry, 2006).
Collaborative governance involves the participation of public and private actors
in the formulation and implementation of a good or service (Bryson et al., 2006).
Collaborative governance models posit that actors in a collaboration develop
shared understandings, mission, and decision rules (Ansell and Gash, 2008) and
their scope is beyond the problem solving approach of collaborative management
theories (Bellamy and Palumbo, 2010).
Previous studies on collaborative governance have addressed policy areas
such as disaster response, environmental protection, human service provision,
and regional planning (Ansell and Gash, 2008; Emerson et al., 2012). One of
the areas neglected by studies on collaborative governance is the organization of
large civic festivals. These events are important because they may yield social,
cultural, and economic impacts at the local level (Jago and Shaw, 1998).
They might also be useful to build community identity, develop and even regener-
ate urban areas, and create new industries. Furthermore, large festivals are
not limited to the United States and Europe – their use is global (Miles and
Paddison, 2005). Large festivals are a typical case of collaborative governance
because they depend on a diverse set of resources – human, financial, political,
technical – that are possessed by several public and private stakeholders
(Andersson and Getz, 2008). Since festivals involve diverse public and private
goods and services (artistic content, public security, city cleaning, transit manage-
ment, and so on) and operate on a time schedule, the decision process cannot
become bogged down in protracted conflict (Cabral et al., 2013). Consequently,
the inter-sectorial arrangements, which are a key component of civic events, require
a collaborative style of governance that should be examined through a public
administration lens.
Typically, studies of festivals have examined their planning and manage-
ment from a business perspective with an interest in how the event contributes
to a community’s economic base and/or serves to attract visitors to the
locality (Gotham, 2011; Jago and Shaw, 1998). Few analyses examine the complex
interactions among public, for-profit, and nonprofit entities and individuals
186 International Review of Administrative Sciences 84(1)
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