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From Service Contracting to Collaborative Governance: Evolution of Government–Nonprofit Relations
Author(s) -
Jing Yijia,
Hu Yefei
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
public administration and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1099-162X
pISSN - 0271-2075
DOI - 10.1002/pad.1797
Subject(s) - corporate governance , accountability , consolidation (business) , popularity , public relations , government (linguistics) , business , collaborative governance , enthusiasm , context (archaeology) , public service , public administration , service (business) , accounting , political science , marketing , finance , law , psychology , social psychology , linguistics , philosophy , paleontology , biology
Summary Social service contracting between governments and nonprofit organizations has received increasing popularity in China and has aroused enthusiasm in engaging nonprofit organizations in governance issues. This study argues that service contracting, driven by New Public Management tenets, may unexpectedly evolve toward collaborative governance (CG) by creating and consolidating necessary conditions of CG. Practices in Shanghai present evidence that governments and contracting nonprofits jointly make decisions, enforce regulatory functions, set rules, and improve community governance. The analysis shows that over time contracting may lead to generation of mutual trust, acquisition of governing resources, and consolidation of collaborative accountability. The evolutionary perspective provides not only a contingent way to develop CG in a context of heavy social control but also a theoretical link between New Public Management and New Public Governance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.