Collaborative Watershed Governance: A Case Study of The New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program

Abstract

Watersheds present unique management challenges as they often span jurisdictional boundaries, face diverse degradation pressures, serve as economic corridors, and offer vital public resources. Collaborative governance is an increasingly applied organizational structure for addressing these issues, but program effectiveness depends on the system context and state of collaborative dynamics. This study applies an evaluative framework for assessing the collaborative arrangements of the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program. Data from participant interviews and organizational documents were coded through NVivo 12. Data analysis included the application of Emerson et al.’s (2012) Integrative Framework for Collaborative Governance, followed by the implementation of McKinsey’s 7-S Framework and a SWOT matrix. Results highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the Program’s current model and provide focus strategies for increasing effective engagement in collaboration.