𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀

𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦

𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀

𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹:
Public Management Review

𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿:
Taylor & Francis Group

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲:
15 January 2027

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲

Public governance increasingly faces complex societal challenges that cross organizational, sectoral, and community boundaries. Issues such as sustainability transitions, social inequality, rapid digitalization, and democratic backsliding require collaboration among public, private, and civil society actors. These turbulent conditions place significant demands on professionals engaged in collaborative governance and public service delivery.

This Special Issue explores how boundary-spanning professionals navigate tensions, dilemmas, and institutional constraints while facilitating cross-boundary collaboration in turbulent environments. It seeks to advance understanding of how collaborative momentum is sustained, how role conflicts are managed, and how governance actors respond to increasingly fragmented and uncertain policy landscapes.

The Special Issue welcomes theoretical and empirical contributions that examine the experiences, practices, challenges, and consequences of boundary spanning work in collaborative governance and public service delivery.

𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁

Submissions may address, but are not limited to:

• Dilemmas, paradoxes, and dark sides of boundary spanning work
• Risks and unintended consequences of collaborative practices
• Role tensions and coping strategies among boundary spanners
• Emotional experiences, persistence, and withdrawal in boundary work
• Managing political conflicts and challenging governance environments
• Navigating multiple accountabilities and institutional logics
• Boundary spanning across organizational, sectoral, and community contexts
• Contributions of state, market, and civil society actors to collaborative governance
• Boundary spanning and joint public value creation
• Boundary work and transformational governance processes
• Improvisation, bricolage, and adaptive problem-solving in turbulent settings
• Implications of organizational and technological infrastructures for collaboration

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀

The Special Issue places particular emphasis on understanding how frontline professionals—including facilitators, intermediaries, community leaders, managers, and other boundary-spanning practitioners—coordinate efforts across diverse actors and institutional environments. It seeks insights into how these professionals build trust, manage competing demands, and sustain collaboration under conditions of uncertainty and change.

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀

• Abstracts should be limited to approximately 300 words (excluding references).
• Abstracts should be submitted via email to all three Guest Editors.
• Abstracts will be reviewed before 30 March 2026.
• Selected contributors will be invited to participate in a workshop hosted by the University of Zagreb, Croatia (tentatively scheduled for 10–11 September 2026).
• Workshop participation costs will be fully or largely covered.
• Draft papers for workshop discussion should be submitted by 20 August 2026.
• Final manuscripts should be submitted by 15 January 2027.
• All submissions will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process.

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀

• Ingmar van Meerkerk, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Email: vanmeerkerk@essb.eur.nl

• Anka Kekez, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Email: anka.kekez-kostro@fpzg.hr

• Jurian Edelenbos, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Email: edelenbos@essb.eur.nl

𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘂 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 — 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 & 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Visit official website of the publisher