Examining the making of Nonprofit-Government Collaborations

• In Event: Cross-sector collaborations

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the antecedents of collaborations from the perspective of nonprofit organizations. Collaborations with governments are crucial to the work of nonprofits, as emphasized by the sustainable development goals (SDG-17) (Brass et al., 2018; Hassan et al., 2019). Scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds have examined nonprofit-government collaborations (Suárez & Hwang, 2020). While some have focussed on examining the process, others have analyzed the antecedents of these collaborations (Gazley & Guo, 2020).

The scholarship examining antecedents of nonprofit-government collaborations draws primarily on the resource dependence theory and transaction cost approaches (Guo & Acar, 2005; Gazley & Brudney, 2007; Sowa, 2009; Bauer et al., 2022). Extant research posits the important role played by organization level preconditions in driving the decision to collaborate for nonprofits. The central question that remains contested in this literature is if resource insufficiency drives nonprofits to collaborate with governments instead of operational capacity (Gazley & Guo, 2020). Additionally, the role of within sector collaborations in explaining cross-sector collaborations remains understudied. This literature predominantly emerges from western contexts, and hence we know very little about how nonprofit-government collaborations are formed in the developing world.

We address the gaps in the literature, by studying the making of collaborations in the Indian context. Firstly, we ask what are the purpose(s) of these collaborations? Secondly, we examine whether resource insufficiency and operational capacity act as organizational preconditions of collaboration for nonprofits? Thirdly, we aim to understand if within sector collaborations play a role in shaping nonprofit-government collaborations. To address these questions, we adopt a concurrent mixed-methods design (Creswell& Clark, 2017). We draw on a national survey of 571 nonprofits conducted in India. Further, to elaborate upon the results from the quantitative analysis we draw on in-depth interviews conducted with 24 nonprofit leaders.

The results from principal components analysis of the purposes of collaboration with governments and other nonprofits, yielded two primary motivations from the answers reported: creating social impact and developing organizational competence. Next, regression analysis highlights that resource insufficient nonprofits are less likely to collaborate with governments. We also find that better operational capacity leads to greater likelihood of collaborating with governments. Nonprofits that collaborate with other nonprofits are more likely to collaborate with governments. Lastly, nonprofits facing resource uncertainty are more likely to collaborate with other nonprofits and not with governments. We elaborate on these results drawing from the qualitative analysis of interviews. Resource insufficient nonprofits would first look for other nonprofits that are driven by similar motivations to form within sector collaborations, rather than directly working with governments. This reduces the costs of working directly with governments, by distributing it among different nonprofits.
Through this paper, we contribute to the literature on nonprofit collaborations by arguing that while resource insufficiency and operational capacity do play a role in explaining nonprofit-government collaborations, it is necessary to understand the various mechanisms through which these relationships emerge in diverse contexts.

References

Bauer, Z., AbouAssi, K., & Johnston, J. (2022). Cross-sector collaboration formality: the effects of institutions and organizational leaders. Public Management Review, 24(2), 159-181.
Brass, J. N., Longhofer, W., Robinson, R. S., & Schnable, A. (2018). NGOs and international development: A review of thirty-five years of scholarship. World Development, 112, 136-149.
Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage publications.
Gazley, B., & Guo, C. (2020). What do we know about nonprofit collaboration? A systematic review of the literature. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 31(2), 211-232
Guo, C., & Acar, M. (2005). Understanding collaboration among nonprofit organizations: Combining resource dependency, institutional, and network perspectives. Nonprofit and voluntary sector quarterly, 34(3), 340-361.
Hassan, M. M., Lee, K. E., & Mokhtar, M. (2019). Streamlining non‐governmental organizations' programs towards achieving the sustainable development goals: A conceptual framework. Sustainable Development, 27(3), 401-408.
Sowa, J. E. (2009). The collaboration decision in nonprofit organizations: Views from the front line. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 38(6), 1003-1025.
Suárez, D., & Hwang, H. (2020). Collaborations and Networks. In The Routledge Companion to Nonprofit Management (pp. 317-334). Routledge

Authors

• Bikalp Chamola, Indian Institute of Management

• Ankur Sarin, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad