Collaborative Governance and Youth Work Policy: A study of Youth Work Committee dynamics, actions and local policy impacts

Collaborative governance theories are well debated, however the current body of knowledge identifies the evaluation of collaborative governance settings as problematic, with calls for research into this perceived gap in the literature. Currently, data is needed to understand the policy impacts and performance of collaborative actions. Youth Work Committees (YWC) can be viewed as a mode of collaborative governance, and they are an appropriate site to make both theoretical and practical contributions to the literature. The thesis study assesses the impact of collaborative governance in YWCs in the improvement of policy outcomes for young people in Ireland. The aim of the thesis study is to begin with a problem, and answer two questions to greater understand stakeholder perspectives of collaborative governance: How YWCs in Ireland function? (RQ1); and, How stakeholders perceive the relationship between YWC collaboration dynamics, YWC actions and policy impacts? (RQ2) The research methodology is interpretivist in orientation. While the secondary research engages with collaborative governance literature and YWC materials, the primary research explores perceptions of how YWC stakeholders work together effectively in youth work policy implementation. Data from a cross-section of their experiences were gathered from sixteen digital interviews, offering views of the relationships between the concepts being examined. Thematic analysis was first used to identify key patterns in the interview data. The conceptual framework was then employed to further operationalise, analyse and interpret this qualitative data, as adapted from Emerson et al.’s 2012 Integrative Framework. Based on the findings, answering the two RQs adds new understanding and insights into what facilitates YWC functioning and efficacy. Youth work governance in Ireland has undergone a significant period of intense change since the early 2000s, and the thesis study contributes to a better understanding of how changing governance has been viewed and experienced by stakeholders on the ground. These findings are based on the themes that emerged from the interview data: (i) understanding the structure and dynamics of YWCs; (ii) hearing and acting on the voices of young people; and (iii) the concept of power in such a collaborative governance setting. In conclusion, the thesis study makes both theoretical and practical contributions that address the gap identified in the literature. It informs the debate on collaborative governance process, performance, and enabling factors. Collaboration dynamics enable actions that are likely to effect change in response to intended policy outcomes. From a youth work practice perspective, the thesis study also contributes to an understanding of how collaborative governance in YWCs enhances the effective oversight of limited resources, to deliver actions, and to achieve identifiable outcomes. Therefore, the thesis study concludes that when certain factors are present in collaborative governance settings, their actions produce policy impacts.