Research Results:
Paper Abstracts

Researching Collaborative Structures and/or Their Outcomes: Challenges of Measurement and Methodology

Kirsten A. Grønbjerg.

Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Academy of Management, Atlanta, GA, August 14-16, 2006. Revised and expanded version of "Examining Collaborations and Networks: Lessons from the Indiana Nonprofit Sector Project," paper presented at Conference on Measuring Progress in Joint Partnerships with Government: Methodologies to Assess the Voluntary Sector Initiative. Social Development Canada. Ottawa Canada, December 5-7, 2005.

Abstract

Recent years have seen significant efforts in the U.S. and elsewhere to privatize government services and expand the mechanisms by which units of government relate to private entities, including nonprofit organizations. As a result, researchers and policy makers have increasingly come to recognize the need for assessing the structure and impact of collaborations, whether formalized or not. In this paper I discuss methodological challenges in measuring and evaluating collaboration. My analysis highlights the need for researchers to pay particular attention to how collaboration is defined, which groups are included in the assessment, and on whether the focus is on the process and dynamics of collaborations or on the outcome and impact of collaborations.

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Last Updated: August 21, 2006