COOPERATION BETWEEN PUBLIC AUTHORITIES AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Forms, Drivers, Principles, Policies, Means and Tools
In the last few decades, cooperation with civil society has been receiving increasing attention from governments at all levels, from national to regional to local, as well as from international organisations due to various drivers. These drivers have led to a more cooperative approach in almost all policy fields. Even though cooperation has been receiving increasing attention, experience informs that it is not an easy task to put it into practice. Nevertheless, the literature mostly concentrated on the “Why” question and sought to answer the question: “Why do public authorities and civil society cooperate?” Relatively little attention has been given to the practical aspects of cooperation that answer the “How” question: “How do public authorities and civil society cooperate?” In other words, the practical aspects of cooperation are far less well explored. Drawing on desk research, documentary evidence and qualitative research, this study addresses the relatively neglected side of public-civil society cooperation. This study moves from theory to practice -from “why it is” to “how to do it”. The key policy field of focus for research is identified as the integration of refugees for two reasons: first, the global refugee crisis establishes the integration of refugees as one of the most urgent issues in the agenda of public authorities; and secondly, this is one of the areas where public-civil society cooperation has the potential to make a real difference; however, research in this field is far less well explored. The geographical focus of the research is the local level because local authorities are not only at the front line of receiving refugees but also their integration into society, as it is primarily in the cities where refugees seek their basic needs.
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