Understanding Engagement in Collaborative Governance Networks Through Motivation, Learning, and Values
Osberg, Gustav LU
(2026)
In Environmental Policy and Governance
- Abstract
Collaborative governance networks are increasingly central to local climate action, yet research offers limited understanding of the personal, psychological, and informal factors that sustain engagement within them. This paper examines how such networks facilitate meaningful and lasting participation through an in-depth study of Malmö Works, a long-standing public–private collaboration focused on sustainable mobility in Malmö, Sweden. Drawing on more than 2 years of process-oriented, action-informed qualitative research, including participant observation, interviews, workshops, and document analysis, the study investigates how individual motivations, organisational conditions, and network structures interact to support climate action.... (More)
Collaborative governance networks are increasingly central to local climate action, yet research offers limited understanding of the personal, psychological, and informal factors that sustain engagement within them. This paper examines how such networks facilitate meaningful and lasting participation through an in-depth study of Malmö Works, a long-standing public–private collaboration focused on sustainable mobility in Malmö, Sweden. Drawing on more than 2 years of process-oriented, action-informed qualitative research, including participant observation, interviews, workshops, and document analysis, the study investigates how individual motivations, organisational conditions, and network structures interact to support climate action. Integrating perspectives from Self-Determination Theory and values research with collaborative governance scholarship, the analysis identifies three intertwined learning processes: knowing the issue, knowing each other, and knowing the possibilities that enable participants to translate abstract climate ambitions into concrete, contextually grounded action. These processes are reinforced by three motivational conditions: autonomy through participant-driven co-creation, relatedness fostered by informal relational practices, and competence built through experimentation and open exchange. The paper contributes an integrated framework that distinguishes between process and outcome dimensions of values and goals in collaborative governance, with learning linking the two. It argues that networks such as Malmö Works advance climate action not only by coordinating activities, but by cultivating shared purpose and agency. However, the same informality enabling these benefits also generates vulnerabilities related to continuity, institutionalisation, and representativeness. The study concludes with implications for designing collaborative governance networks capable of supporting durable, equitable, and scalable climate action.
(Less)
- author
- Osberg, Gustav
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- in press
- subject
- keywords
- agency, municipal level, participation, psychology, sustainability, urban
- in
- Environmental Policy and Governance
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105033039414
- ISSN
- 1756-932X
- DOI
- 10.1002/eet.70058
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- id
- 86a63fd3-f6de-4124-a19f-715a12528a21
- date added to LUP
- 2026-04-27 15:24:35
- date last changed
- 2026-04-27 15:25:49
@article{86a63fd3-f6de-4124-a19f-715a12528a21,
abstract = {{<p>Collaborative governance networks are increasingly central to local climate action, yet research offers limited understanding of the personal, psychological, and informal factors that sustain engagement within them. This paper examines how such networks facilitate meaningful and lasting participation through an in-depth study of Malmö Works, a long-standing public–private collaboration focused on sustainable mobility in Malmö, Sweden. Drawing on more than 2 years of process-oriented, action-informed qualitative research, including participant observation, interviews, workshops, and document analysis, the study investigates how individual motivations, organisational conditions, and network structures interact to support climate action. Integrating perspectives from Self-Determination Theory and values research with collaborative governance scholarship, the analysis identifies three intertwined learning processes: knowing the issue, knowing each other, and knowing the possibilities that enable participants to translate abstract climate ambitions into concrete, contextually grounded action. These processes are reinforced by three motivational conditions: autonomy through participant-driven co-creation, relatedness fostered by informal relational practices, and competence built through experimentation and open exchange. The paper contributes an integrated framework that distinguishes between process and outcome dimensions of values and goals in collaborative governance, with learning linking the two. It argues that networks such as Malmö Works advance climate action not only by coordinating activities, but by cultivating shared purpose and agency. However, the same informality enabling these benefits also generates vulnerabilities related to continuity, institutionalisation, and representativeness. The study concludes with implications for designing collaborative governance networks capable of supporting durable, equitable, and scalable climate action.</p>}},
author = {{Osberg, Gustav}},
issn = {{1756-932X}},
keywords = {{agency; municipal level; participation; psychology; sustainability; urban}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Environmental Policy and Governance}},
title = {{Understanding Engagement in Collaborative Governance Networks Through Motivation, Learning, and Values}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eet.70058}},
doi = {{10.1002/eet.70058}},
year = {{2026}},
}