ABSTRACT
Though potential collaborative governance processes arise out of a wide variety of circumstances, they almost always begin with an assessment to determine whether a collaborative governance process would be appropriate and beneficial and to help inform the design and makeup of any future collaborative governance process. First, this chapter explores the value of a collaborative governance assessment. Second, it outlines the key indicators that demonstrate when a collaborative governance approach can be helpful in addressing a situation. Third, this chapter distinguishes key indicators that are specific to an agreement- seeking or to a collective action approach. Finally, this chapter provides ten road-tested strategies for conducting an assessment.
