Understanding Engagement in Collaborative Governance Networks Through Motivation, Learning, and Values

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. 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.