The Limits of Horizontal Governance
The Limits of Horizontal Governance

Summary/Abstract: In the face of globalisation, a fragmented society and lack of trust by citizens, governments have come to recognise that they cannot solve complex public policy problems on their own. Greater collaboration is evident not only between government and its non-governmental partners, but among departments which are managing policy files in a more horizontal manner. The purpose of this paper is to put the concept of horizontal governance to the test, using a case study of Canada's Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI). The case examines how each of the four major components of governance - collaboration, instrument choice, horizontal management within government, and networks - played out in the process of two years of joint work between a national government and the voluntary sector.

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