On Collaborative Governance
There is a crisis of faith in government. Even in Minnesota, where our public’s trust in government is nearly three times higher than the national average, less than 50% of our population trusts the government “to do the right thing,” according to a survey conducted by APM Research Lab in 2022. Distrust in government yields apathy, discontent, and anger toward institutions that influence and shape nearly every aspect of our lives.
Left unchecked, these can manifest in growing extremism in political ideology, decreased engagement in politics, and an increase in violent responses to government action. In our country, we’ve seen a destructive combination of all the above.
While our state government has proven more trustworthy than other government entities in our country, there is still much work to be done to restore trust in Minnesota across a broader base. I believe one avenue presents the best opportunity to do this: propagating collaborative governance within our state.
Collaborative governance reduces the opacity of government, elevates the voices of local communities, and can help overcome dissatisfaction with the rule of a particular party when done well. While best practiced within local government, the principles of collaborative governance can be adapted to and applied to nearly every office within government.
So, what is collaborative governance, anyway?
In its most basic form, it is a way of governing by which a group of collaborators (e.g. folks from public, private, civic sectors and from the public at large) work together using consensus-based decision-making to “produce outcomes that impact people inside and outside the governing group.” Even with this basic understanding, many questions remain:
Who should get a seat at the table? How should decisions be made? How should this particular model work with a legislator as its focal point?
Such a collaborative governance body should be organized as a standing committee to collaborate with the legislator. The purpose of the committee should be to establish the district’s main legislative priorities and evaluate policies in preparation for the next legislative session, while tapping into the local knowledge of the district. With this purpose in mind, roles within the body should focus on topics across three broad categories: policy implementation, policy impact, and policy support within the community.
Implementation: advise about the levers that currently exist within government to effectuate a policy, alignment of policy with other laws or policies at state, local, and federal levels, and implementation gaps that would need to be filled in order to implement a policy.
Impact: advise about the potential impacts of a particular policy on particular groups (such as members of the LGBTQ+ community, communities of color, economically disadvantaged communities, etc.), impacts on the local economy, and impacts on various sectors/industries (transportation, public benefits, housing, mental health support, environment, etc.).
Community Support: advise on the support for particular policies within the district and how to best communicate about the policy within the district, including communicating the desired outcomes of the policy and how to access it.
This collaborative governing body increases the transparency and accountability of the decisions made by a legislator on the votes they take, the policies they support, and the compromises they make to pass legislation.
Collaborative Governance is more than a buzz phrase used to garner public support. It is a promise to try and create transparent accountability mechanisms that also elevate the voices and needs of the people of this district.
In this race, I have most clearly defined my commitment to public transparency, accountability, and collaboration by giving concrete steps toward achieving this goal. I am excited to work with you all to bring this system to MN40B!
To learn more about the framework that has inspired me, please read this booklet published by the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University, which provides a fantastic step-by-step guide on creating collaborative governance frameworks.
