Transformation of Countervailing Power in Collaborative Governance: A Case Study of the Shi-Hwa Sustainable Development Committee

Abstract

The existence of adversarial countervailing power has been considereda necessary condition to making collaborative governance fair and effective. However, adversarial countervailing power cannot be easily transformed into acollaborative one that is more appropriate for collaborative governance. This articleexplores a mechanism of power transformation by bridging the theory of trustbuilding and the theory of power in collaborative governance. This article positsthat when there is distrust among parties, comprehensive, up-front prenegotiationon the structure of collaboration may set the stage for a small-wins approach totrust building by managing power imbalances. Power transformation may followthis trust-building cycle accordingly. The framework of power transformationis tested with the case of the Shi-Hwa Sustainable Development Committee, asuccessful experiment of collaborative governance in balancing development andenvironment in Korea in which adversarial countervailing power was transformedinto a collaborative one. The results of this article imply that a key factor insuccessful collaborative governance is power management.