People and Their Communities in Collaborative Governance

People and their communities are key constituents that drive collaborative governance to address debilitating societal concerns through collective cross-sector stakeholders’ action. The unique role of people and their communities in a collaborative governance ecosystem, exemplified by divergent representation and participation in the various fundamental aspects, is integral for creating needed solutions and impacts. Whether the nature of engagement is that of service providers, agency representatives, non-elected community leaders, target populations, concerned individuals, policy entrepreneurs, coalition leaders, and mandated representatives, people and their community’s collective negotiation of varying interests, persuasions, and shared understanding relative to the common public problem is critical to creating outputs and outcomes that reflect meaningful transformation for the benefits of key populations and society at large. While the dynamics of numerous stakeholders’ engagement in collaborative governance could breed elements of inclusion and exclusion due to associated contingencies, the opportunity for diverse representation and participation as a postmodern approach compared to the usual adversarial bureaucratic methods of generating collective solutions make people and their communities the lifeblood of collective action with impactful outcomes. This chapter reiterates the integral role of people and their communities as one of the critical constituent elements in enabling constructive societal responses to complex public problems. The chapter draws on the case of existing measures in the healthcare regime with people and the community at the center of collective action and postulates options for futuristic pragmatic solutions.