Collaborative governance : the case of mass transportation in London and Lagos

• Main Author: Olaoye, Olanrewaju Akanbi
• Other Authors: Bochel, Hugh ; Somerville, Peter
• Published: University of Lincoln 2015
• Subjects: 388.09421; L434 Transport Policy
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.686603

State actors have adopted policies which they claim will enable the provision of public services including mass transportation. In most global cities, dedicated strategic transport authorities are employed for the purpose of planning and implementing strategies to sustain mass transportation. While such bodies play key roles, not only planning mass transport policies, but also coordinating the system, not much is known about the dynamics of the relations among the actors who constitute the governance system responsible for sustaining mass transportation. This thesis therefore explores the systems of governance of mass transportation in London and Lagos with the aim of evaluating the role of collaborative modes of governance in affecting and sustaining better transportation for the mass public. While it is claimed by the political leadership of both London and Lagos that ‘partnership’ is employed in delivering mass transportation, the cases investigated show that what really exists ranges from a few relatively genuine partnerships to relationships that are driven more by contracts and mandatory arrangements. The research is an analysis of two cases, employing a qualitative approach for data gathering through the use of semi-structured interviews. The primary evidence gathered from both cases is validated by the secondary data. The thesis contributes to the literature on collaborative governance by emphasising the importance of political and strategic leadership, the relevance of the nature of funding regime, accountability and the socio-cultural context for sustaining service delivery. A key finding from the study is that most of the partnerships in both cases are influenced by political leaders (the Mayor of London and the Governor of Lagos state). Furthermore, actors in both governance systems do not agree on the organisation that should take the lead in the system, although there is a fair measure of agreement that the Mayor is best placed to take the lead in London. Also, perhaps unsurprisingly, in both systems there exist conflicts and partnerships. The discussion of the findings, together with an analysis of the recurring themes in this study, offer significant insights into the factors that shape and influence the systems of governance of mass transportation in both cases, and the degree to which collaborative governance exists.