Conference Agenda

Food waste represents an urgent global challenge, explicitly recognised in the United Nations 2030 Agenda, which calls for halving per capita food waste by 2030. Configuring itself as a wicked problem due to its complexity and cross-cutting nature, food waste requires collaborative approaches that transcend traditional organisational boundaries. This study examines how exogenous and endogenous factors influence the effectiveness of collaborative networks in food waste management, addressing a critical gap in understanding network performance within food security contexts. Based on Cepiku's (2014) Multidimensional Network Performance Model, the research analyses three regional collaborative networks for food waste reduction in central and southern Italy through comparative case study methodology. The analysis reveals significant tensions between logistical efficiency and social inclusion orientations within networks, demonstrating how territorial context, organisational maturity and network management philosophies critically influence collaborative effectiveness. Trust-building through transparency emerges as fundamental for transforming cooperative arrangements into authentic collaborations, whilst territorial fragmentation can paradoxically constrain network effectiveness despite high actor density. The study validates the MNPM framework for analysing networks addressing wicked problems and provides practical insights for designing more effective collaborative approaches to food waste and other complex social challenges requiring cross-sectoral cooperation.

Youth marginalization – i.e., the social exclusion and disadvantage that young people experience in arenas such as education and the labour market – is a concerning issue for welfare states. A characteristic of this phenomenon is that it involves multiple and complex problems and thereby spans across sectors and service organizations (health, education, employment, social services). Handling it requires collaboration across service sectors such as interorganizational networks, i.e., ‘deliberately formed groups of three or more autonomous but interdependent organizations – often providers of public services – that pursue a common goal and generate a collective output’ (Provan et al., 2007).

To foster cross-sectoral collaboration, governments have developed different types of inter-organizational network designs. Some, such as Norway, Denmark, and the UK, have established 'one-stop-shops' integrating employment and social services and social insurance (Askim et al., 2011; Minas, 2014; Struyven & Van Hemel, 2009) and relying on collaboration with other service providers (education and healthcare) to provide holistic services regarding youth marginalization. In other countries, like Finland and Sweden, services are provided by independent organizations from each sector.

In this paper, we study the impact of these inter-organizational network designs on the prevention of youth marginalization. We adopt a ‘whole networks’ perspective, focusing on the network level rather than the individual participating organisations (Provan et al., 2007). We expect that a network with a one-stop-shop is differently enabled to prevent youth marginalization than a network without such a core actor. This difference, we expect, depends on the degree to which this core actor actively engages with the NEETs problem and reach out to young people at risk in collaboration with other services. Furthermore, in networks without a one-stop-shop for employment and social services, other services may take up a core role in reaching out to at-risk youth.

We draw on register and qualitative data collected in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The data were collected from interviews with professionals in education, health, employment and social services in 20 communities in each of the three countries. The communities were strategically sampled, involving 10 of the 20 communities in each country with the highest positive and negative discrepancy between the actual and estimated number of marginalized youth, considering individual and contextual factors known to influence the risk of youth marginalization (NEET rate).

Our analysis is based on qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) (Andrews et al., 2016; Fiss, 2011; Greckhamer et al., 2018). This research design is beneficial because it enables us to examine the collective impact of multiple factors regarding the networks on the NEET rate in the studied communities (Cepiku et al., 2021; Cristofoli & Marcovic, 2016; Hu et al., 2023; Mellberg et al., 2023; Raab et al., 2013; Shumate et al., 2023).

E-Government evaluation and improvement face significant challenges, particularly when broader aspects of government quality and user satisfaction are considered. Moreover, complexity increases due to the interplay between national and local solutions.

The Government as a Platform (GaaP) paradigm provides a valuable framework for understanding platform ecosystems that address citizens’ needs, allowing state-level solutions to reach their potential while granting local autonomy to meet local needs. Platform environments can foster innovation and generate public value, however, GaaP introduces challenges, including blurred lines of responsibility between portal and platform owners.

GaaP views the public sector as a platform where public administration interacts with both citizens and businesses to enhance societal value creation. This approach broadens the focus beyond efficiency and technical requirements (O’Reilly, 2011). A GaaP system is defined by a shared IT infrastructure that serves as a foundation for multiple parties to develop applications tailored to societal and economic needs. This concept means that commonly used functions, such as digital identity systems, are provided centrally by national actors, while local providers or administrations can build on this base to offer specialized services that best address local needs.

E-Government portals have become popular tools for governments to deliver services, providing solutions for accessing public services and information online, thus offering convenience and ease of access (Cahlikova, 2021). Furthermore, these portals contribute to government efficiency by automating processes, reducing paperwork, and enhancing data accuracy (Chan et al., 2021).

To achieve these benefits and ensure efficiency and security, portal owners leverage the common platform environment and solutions of a GaaP ecosystem. However, this advantageous integration also introduces new challenges. Notably, identity verification is the first step users encounter when logging into portals and accessing services; difficulties at this stage can significantly affect the overall experience with e-Government portals. While seamless integration of login procedures with the portal enhances user experience, it can also make it difficult for users to discern portal boundaries. This complicates portal evaluations and makes it more challenging for portal owners to address user satisfaction. This study addresses this issue by examining how identity verification solutions that rely on national e-ID systems affect user satisfaction with local e-Gov portals and how portal owners can still take action to increase it.

The paper’s contribution is strengthened by its empirical focus on Italian digital public administration. Italian national e-ID systems are evaluated through the case of the public portal myCIVIS, owned by the Department of Information Technology of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. A questionnaire to assess user satisfaction with the portal gathered responses from over 2,000 individuals, which were analyzed using structural equation models. Additionally, content analysis of the open-ended responses provided further valuable insights.

Sources:

Cahlikova, T. (2021). The Introduction of e-Government in Switzerland. Springer.

Chan, F. K. Y., Thong, J. Y. L., Brown, S. A., & Venkatesh, V. (2021). Service design and citizen satisfaction with e-government services: a multidimensional perspective. Public Administration Review, 81(5), 874–894.

O’Reilly, T. (2011). Government as a Platform. Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, 6(1), 13–40.