Tensions between Fiscal Accountability Policy and Collaborative Management Implementation in State Wildlife Agencies.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Policy
• Public Administration
• Wildlife Management

Background:

• Collaborative governance is increasingly promoted for natural resource management.
• State wildlife agencies (SWAs) face challenges in implementing collaborative plans effectively.
• Governmental fiscal accountability requirements can conflict with collaborative management goals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the impact of fiscal accountability on collaborative management implementation in SWAs.
• To identify policy misalignments affecting collaborative governance.
• To understand how procurement processes influence collaborative efforts.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with staff at two state wildlife agencies.
• Analysis of insights derived from informant comments regarding collaborative implementation.
• Exploration of tensions arising from governmental accountability controls.

Main Results:

• Fiscal accountability requirements create significant tensions that negatively impact collaborative plan implementation in SWAs.
• Misalignments between collaborative governance support and governmental accountability controls disrupt relationships among SWA staff, partners, and procurement personnel.
• Procurement processes, acting as internal regulatory authorities, can undermine unified state interests in collaborative governance.

Conclusions:

• Tensions stemming from fiscal accountability and policy misalignments are a critical, understudied barrier to effective collaborative management in natural resource agencies.
• The organizational location of procurement staff may influence the level of tension and impact on collaborative implementation.
• Further research is needed to confirm the influence of procurement staff location and to explore these tensions in other governmental agencies.