The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development has teamed with two other universities for a joint curricular and research initiative – the Consortium on Collaborative Governance (CCG).

The School of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management and the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington are the other principals.

Capitalizing on the strengths of the three schools, the consortium will focus on collaborative governance in public-private partnerships, policy formulation and implementation across the public, private and nonprofit sectors as well as the evolving nature of civil society.

“We expect that [this unique academic partnership] will result in joint research efforts building on the strengths of all three partners,” said Jack H. Knott, the C. Erwin and Ione L. Piper Dean and Professor.

For example, according to Knott, SPPD brings significant leadership in public sector management and urban problem-solving, the Eller College contributes its research strength in managing networks and the University of Washington adds its expertise in nonprofit management.

The consortium evolved out of discussions over the past 12 months among the three schools, all of whom “are committed to encouraging the scholarly research needed to understand the impact and efficacy of public-private-nonprofit collaborations,” Knott said. “The consortium also will play an important role in educating our students on the challenges and nuances of collaborative governance.”

The CCG will share resources and ideas, research agendas, develop an executive program and share faculty through multiple exchanges. In addition, the group plans to create a listserv to make relevant research and presentations available to faculty and scholars.

An annual symposium series will be the venue for the faculty exchanges. Faculty members will visit partner institutions to present cutting-edge research, and leading national and international scholars also will be invited to present at each of the partner schools. The symposium series is slated to begin this spring.

The Consortium on Collaborative Governance plans to focus on substantive policy areas such as health, natural resources, homeland security and the environment.