Strategic Collaboration

1 Credit · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Strategic and cross-sector collaboration is a necessary solution to complex development challenges. While the practice and research of cross-sector collaboration is extremely challenging, there has been extraordinary growth in the developed-country literature. Since 2006, the literature has expanded dramatically with hundreds of empirical and theoretical articles published. By contrast, in developing countries, the practice of cross-sector collaboration has far outpaced the research. While cross-sector collaboration is desired by governments, required by funders and recommended by policymakers—and most fields, including the global health and conflict resolution fields, work extensively across sectors, memorializing these activities through various types of documentation such as contracts and memoranda of understanding—this policy and practice has not been supported by a commensurate level of research focus. This class will highlight and begin to address this crucial knowledge gap. We will investigate the existing literature and analyze key areas where attention is needed. Students will leave the class equipped with cutting-edge tools to build and research cross-sector collaboration in a developing country setting. Case studies will be drawn primarily from the global health and conflict resolution sectors.