Public management has been undergoing key transformations in its approach to addressing critical social issues.

Across the country, government agencies have chosen to solve civic problems and deliver public services through collaborative and contractual arrangements with private businesses, nonprofits and community groups.

In an effort to build a better understanding of these changes, the Consortium on Collaborative Governance – a partnership among the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington and the School of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Arizona – sponsored a conference April 10-12 in Santa Monica.

“Our essential goal is to improve communities,” said Jack H. Knott, C. Erwin and Ione L. Piper Dean and Professor of SPPD. “And to do so, we must study new forms of governance and explore innovative methods of problem-solving.”

Thirty-five faculty members and doctoral students, all of whom are conducting research in collaborative governance at their respective institutions, attended the event. Participants presented and discussed papers on a broad scope of issues, ranging from homeland security to nonprofit management.

Featured speakers included Steve Soboroff, president of Playa Vista, and Mark Pisano, former executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments, the largest regional planning agency in the country.

Established in 2006, the consortium evolved out of discussions among the three schools to encourage scholarly research aimed at analyzing the impact and efficacy of public-private-nonprofit collaborations.