Developing trust to achieve complementarity for collaborative governance: Lessons from a government programme

Abstract

This article examines the community as a new arena in which political–administrative relations unfold, and it investigates how, within the context of collaborative governance, the involvement of societal organizations in policymaking influences the trust-based interactions between politicians and administrators that underpin complementarity. The study is based on qualitative interviews conducted with politicians, civil servants and societal organization representatives participating in a government programme in the Basque Country (northern Spain). Our findings suggest that closer ties with citizens may shape complementary relationships between politicians and civil servants by broadening the basis for trust. More specifically, the study identifies responsiveness − alongside ability, benevolence and integrity − as a predominant trust driver that also influences the others. Perceptions of effective complementarity between politics and administration appear to hinge on responsiveness, a key vector of trustworthiness that supports and sustains collaborative governance.

Points for practitioners

−in collaborative governance, openness to citizens’ participation may shape perceptions of competence, benevolence and integrity;

−conversely, lack of responsiveness may lead to the perception that competence, benevolence and integrity are also lacking;

−a responsive administration can enhance trustworthiness;

−this depends also on a constructive relationship between politicians and civil servants; and

−effective collaborative governance also depends on the perception of an effective complementarity of politics and administration.