The Drivers of Collaborative Success Between Rural Economic Development Organizations

The nonprofit literature has directed attention to exploring how features of the broader structure of exchanges within regional collaboration networks impact the dynamics and outcomes of a single partnership. This study examines how partners’ relative positions within a collaboration network impact their interdependence and collaborative success. Our analysis of 298 collaborations between 98 economic development organizations operating in an economically distressed rural region demonstrates that social network properties—structural embeddedness and relative centrality—have substantial effects on exchange partners’ collaborative success. We also investigate whether network effects are mediated by the two dimensions of interdependence, mutual dependence and power imbalance. Together, our theorizing and results speak to the driving factors of collaborative success in a context where collaboration is particularly vital.