Public innovation in regional collaborative governance: An analysis of public actors’ perceptions in a subnational program of environmental sustainability and inclusion

Abstract

Public innovation has become an imperative for the contemporary state, driving governance models that shift the focus from hierarchical centrality toward public–private partnerships. This research aims to analyze public officials' perceptions of the implementation of the "Pact for a Sustainable and Inclusive Region" in the Los Lagos Region, Chile, highlighting their experiences during the process, as well as the catalysts and barriers it encountered. The study adopts a qualitative exploratory case study approach, utilizing document analysis and 22 semi-structured interviews that were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis, following a hybrid approach that integrates deductive categories from the literature on public innovation and collaborative governance with emergent categories derived from participants' narratives. The main findings reveal that, while collaborative governance acts as an integrating framework that generates social capital, trust, and mutual learning, its effectiveness is limited by significant constraints, including the burden of contingency planning placed on public sector employees, a lack of structural resources, and a high dependence on the incumbent political leadership. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that collaborative governance can constitute a relevant form of public innovation at the subnational level by facilitating dialogue, learning, and consensus-building processes among diverse actors; however, its long-term sustainability depends on the capacity to institutionalize these mechanisms, secure adequate resources, and reduce dependence on temporary political leadership.