Joining-up for regional development. How governments deal with a wicked problem, overlapping policies and fragmented responsibilities

Regional economic development is a policy area which governments describe as a mess with too many actors and too many uncoordinated initiatives. Programs in areas such as skills development and support for small businesses can be more efficient if resources are pooled and information shared. Collaboration in partnerships and other forms of 'joined-up government' are introduced in many countries to bring about coherence and a greater impact of public investments.

This study looks at twelve western countries to learn about their problems and solutions. The ambition is to draw conclusions for the design of public management and especially how systems of monitoring and evaluation could be designed to supply national governments with information to coordinate policies.