Abstract

Autor, Data Ttulo

Lus Mota and Maria Engrcia Cardim, September 3rd-8th 20 2

Meta-!o"ernance at the Street-Le"e#$ the per%ormance impact o% Communities o% &ractice o% Loca# &ro"iders 'ithin the de#i"er( o% the &ortuguese po#ic( o% )*ecognition o% &rior Learning+

Abstract

Considering the coe,istence, not a#'a(s paci%ic, o% di%%erent e#ements o% )hierarchica#+, )mar-et-oriented+ and )cooperati"e+ pub#ic go"ernance mode#s 'ithin the same po#ic( domain, the stud( o% meta-go"ernance .as a set o% acti"ities %ostering the coordination among di%%erent go"erning st(#es so to promote the po#ic( e%%ecti"eness/ is becoming under increasing scienti%ic attention0 Entai#ing se"era# instruments 'hich ma( be %ramed 'ithin the t(po#ogies o% )game management+ or o% )net'orstructuring+, the concept o% meta-go"ernance is genera##( re#ated 'ith reasserting the centra#-entities+ ro#e0 1o'e"er, and not being opposed to that perspecti"e, 'e ad"ocate that the #oca# pro"iders ma( a#so ha"e a )'ord to sa(+ on this matter0 Assemb#ing the presence o% a "er( acti"e nationa# agenc( and a #arge set o% #oca# pro"iders, the imp#ementing structure o% the &ortuguese po#ic( o% )*ecognition o% &rior Learning+ has to %ace 'ith se"era# re#ationa# prob#ems, name#( the ones re#ated 'ith competition among #oca# pro"iders due to the contracted output targets and 'ith a certain )autonom( parado,+ since #oca# pro"iders percei"e the nationa# agenc( as too imposing but the( -eep as- %or more guide#ines0

2n order to cope 'ith these and other prob#ems, one has been 'itnessing to the emergence o% communities o% Abstract practice o% #oca# pro"iders, 'hich ma( he#p to diminish the competiti"e beha"ior among #oca# pro"iders re#ated to the )pressure %or outputs+ but a#so to %oster a process o% practices harmoni3ation, thus potentia##( promoting an impro"ement 'ithin the 4ua#it( o% outputs and outcomes0 2n this paper 'e 'i## then characteri3e the processes o% emergence and de"e#opment o% these communities, name#( b( identi%(ing the triggering agents and moti"es, their d(namics and their impacts 'ithin the pro"iders+ acti"it( and 'ithin the re#ationships among the #oca# pro"iders0 5o do so, 'e #aunched a sur"e( on #oca# pro"iders .tota#it( o% 6789 and 'ith a response rate o% 26:/, in order to characteri3e the re#ationships among the imp#ementing actors and to identi%( and generica##( characteri3e these communities o% practice0 A%ter that process, 'e inter"ie'ed representati"es o% the nationa# agenc( and representati"es o% 2 o% the identi%ied communities, so to deepen our -no'#edge about the .current and prospected %uture99/ d(namics and impacts o% these communities o% practice0

9 5he tota#it( o% 678 #oca# pro"iders 'as a rea#it( b( the time the sur"e( 'as #aunched0 2n the meantime, and a#read( in%#uencing the #aunch o% inter"ie's, se"era# o% these entities 'ere c#osed due to a po#ic( restructuring process that toop#ace as a conse4uence o% a change in !o"ernment0 99 ;espite it 'as not part o% our research p#an since it resu#ted %rom une,pected po#itica# change, 'e considered re#e"ant to e,p#ore the .e"entua#/ ro#e o% these communities 'ithin the process o% po#ic( restructuring0

<e(-'ords .a#phabetic order/$ communities o% practice, meta-go"ernance, po#ic( per%ormance, po#ic( Abstract imp#ementation structure, street-#e"e# 'or-ers

Obs.:

&aper to be presented at the 36th0 Annua# Con%erence o% European !roup %or &ub#ic Administration .E!&A/ - =ergen, September 3rd-8th 20 2 &ermanent Stud( !roup >222$ &ub#ic &o#icies, headed b( &ro%essors &0 L0 1upe .Erasmus ?ni"ersit( o% *otterdam/ and 1ara#d S@tren .?ni"ersit( o% =ergen/