In order to better understand how collective impact networks really function, Katherine Cooper and Michelle Shumate conducted an in-depth case study. Katherine attended regular meetings as an ethnographer for over 2 years. In addition, we conducted four waves of surveys with organizational members. From this research, we became interested in at least two areas of collective impact:
- How does choosing the social issue (or changing the framing of the social issue) influence who participates in collective impact networks?
- How does meeting participation influence the creation of new collaborations?
So far, we’ve published one paper out of this research (if you encounter a paywall, just e-mail us and we’ll get you a copy):
Cooper, K. R. (2017). Nonprofit participation in collective impact: A comparative case. Community Development, 48(4), 499-514. doi:10.1080/15575330.2017.1332654