Understanding Network Governance: A Case Study Exploration of Active Canada 20/20 Brandon R. Wu, BSM (Honours) Supervisor: Dr. L Kikulis, PhD Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a degree of Master of Arts in Applied Health Sciences (Sport Management) Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario © Brandon Wu 2014 UNDERSTANDING NETWORK GOVERNANCE ii Abstract Consistent with the governance shift towards network forms of governance, a number of new social movements have formed in response to the declining levels of physical activity in the Western world. One such movement is Active Canada 20/20: A Physical Activity Strategy and Change Agenda for Canada. Network governance is employed as the theoretical framework for this case study exploration of Active Canada 20/20 and the political landscape surrounding its development and implementation. Semi- structured interviews were conducted in addition to document/policy analysis and direct observations. Analysis of the data resulted in three overarching themes – the defining characteristics of network governance, the political landscape, and intersectoral linkages – that interconnect multifariously based the nature of the Canadian federal government and its relationship with the voluntary sector for physical activity. Despite progress in driving Active Canada 20/20 forward, entrenched dynamics of power need to be navigated within the political landscape surrounding network governance. Keywords: Network governance, physical activity, public policy, governance UNDERSTANDING NETWORK GOVERNANCE iii Acknowledgements Thank you God for blessing me with the drive and diligence to produce such humbling work, and for putting me in this position and surrounding me with people for whom I am nothing if not grateful. “If hard work pays off then easy work is worthless.” I have never appreciated these words/lyrics as much as I do now. The reading, research, and writing demands of a master’s thesis should not be undervalued, and I have the utmost respect for those who have chosen to pursue a career in the academia. Foremost acknowledgement in this regard goes to my graduate advisor, Dr. Lisa Kikulis, for your invaluable guidance and for continuing to “steer” (#governmentality) me in the right direction through the past two and half years. It has been an absolute privilege to complete my graduate studies under such professional and knowledgeable supervision. I would also like to thank my advisory committee members, Drs. Laura Cousens and Lucie Thibault, for generously sharing your time and scholarly wisdom. In the same esteem, I extend appreciation to my external examiner, Dr. Erin Sharpe, for accepting the challenge of navigating the waters of network governance and, in doing so, challenging my understandings with your insights. I was fortunate to have a committee comprised of some of the greater academic minds; and in my quasi-academic/one-track NBA mind, you will always be the academic “Big Three” (+1). To everyone else in the department of Sport Management that crossed my (quiet) path along the way, from fellow SPMA graduate students to faculty professors and the kindest Administrative Assistant a department could ask for, you were each part of my experience and I thank you for that. UNDERSTANDING NETWORK GOVERNANCE iv To my family that always calls me home, the loving, financial, and lighthearted support that you have provided through the years has meant more to me than I will ever be able to verbalize. Thank you Mom, Dad, Jordan, and Spencer. To my moral compass, such few words are not enough to express how truly thankful I am for your (and your family’s) continued support, encouragement, and love. You make it real for me, Katlynne. Let this be the determination and drive you need to complete your thesis. UNDERSTANDING NETWORK GOVERNANCE v Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction and Background ....................................................................... 1 The Governance Narrative ............................................................................................... 2 The Canadian Way ................................................................................................... 4 Amidst Healthy Active Living and Active Citizenship: Network Governance ................ 6 Healthy active living ..................................................................................................... 6 Active citizenship ......................................................................................................... 7 Network governance ..................................................................................................... 8 The Case Study: Active Canada 20/20 ............................................................................. 9 Chapter II: Literature Review and Theoretical Framework....................................... 12 Overview of the Governance Narrative.......................................................................... 12 The Political Sphere of Governance ............................................................................... 14 Old governance ........................................................................................................... 17 New governance ......................................................................................................... 18 Neoliberal metagovernance ........................................................................................ 19 New Public Management ....................................................................................... 21 Third Way governance ................................................................................................ 23 Big Society governance ............................................................................................... 26 Network Governance: First Generation Discourse ........................................................ 29 Conceptualizing network governance......................................................................... 30 Policy networks .......................................................................................................... 31 Review of empirical literature .................................................................................... 32 Network governance defined ...................................................................................... 38 Network Governance: Second Generation Discourse .................................................... 42 Intersectoral collaborations ......................................................................................... 43 Power relations ........................................................................................................... 46 Governmentality ......................................................................................................... 49 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 56 Chapter III: A Reflexive Methodology and Research Design ..................................... 59 Epistemological Stance: The Interpretive Paradigm ...................................................... 59 (Integrating) Reflexivity ............................................................................................. 61 Methodology: Case Study .............................................................................................. 62 Quality Case Study Research (Trustworthiness) ............................................................ 66 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................... 70 Research Design ............................................................................................................. 72 Research Methods .......................................................................................................... 73 Policy/document analysis ........................................................................................... 74 In-depth interviews ..................................................................................................... 76 Direct observations ..................................................................................................... 77 Sampling strategies ..................................................................................................... 79 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................. 80 UNDERSTANDING NETWORK GOVERNANCE vi Chapter IV: Finding Network Governance ................................................................... 83 Defining Characteristics of Network Governance ......................................................... 83 Sector-led .................................................................................................................... 84 Autonomy ............................................................................................................... 85 Interdependence ..................................................................................................... 88 Physical Activity Policy Dialogue .............................................................................. 90 Governance (Shared and Community) ....................................................................... 95 Leadership .............................................................................................................