Replication Data for: All Hands on Deck: The Role of Collaborative Platforms and Lead Organizations in Achieving Environmental Goals

This study examines the effectiveness of collaborative platforms in supporting local collaborations for natural resource management. It also explores how governmental and non-governmental lead organizations adopt differing collaborative implementation approaches and how these variations influence outcomes. Utilizing a natural experiment and a difference-in-differences estimator, we evaluate if the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program functions as a collaborative platform to foster local-level Clean Cities Collaborations across the U.S., thereby improving air quality. Our findings suggest that Clean Cities Collaborations have a substantial and enduring impact on reducing air pollution. A series of subgroup analyses suggests that these environmental improvements are most noticeable in collaborations led by nonprofits and regional government councils, rather than those directed by state and local governments. A complementary content analysis provides exploratory evidence that issue definition, collaborative group structure, and inclusive decision-making processes are crucial managerial factors that contribute to the environmental improvements. These insights pave the way for more effective management of collaborative governance on a larger scale.本研究旨在探析协作平台在支持自然资源管理领域本地协作中的效能。同时探究政府与非政府牵头组织如何采用差异化的协作实施路径，以及此类差异如何对最终成果产生影响。本研究采用自然实验法与双重差分法（difference-in-differences）估计量，评估美国能源部清洁城市（Clean Cities）项目是否可作为协作平台，在全美范围内推动本地清洁城市协作，进而改善空气质量。研究结果表明，清洁城市协作对减少空气污染具有显著且持久的影响。一系列亚组分析结果显示，此类环境改善在非营利组织与区域政府委员会牵头的协作中最为显著，而非由州级与地方政府主导的协作。补充性内容分析提供了探索性证据，表明议题界定、协作团队结构与包容性决策流程是推动环境改善的关键管理因素。这些研究发现可为更大尺度下的协作治理高效管理奠定实践基础。