Grassroots to Government ― Creating Joined-up Working in Australia

Joined-up government has captured the imaginations of public administrators for many decades. It offers great promise for tackling the complex, or 'wicked', policy problems that concern the governments of industrialised countries. Despite ongoing interest, there remains an absence of core methods and principles to make joined-up government work in practice. Increasingly, public policy scholars are calling for 'evidence-based' joined-up government. However, this evidence is currently in its infancy. In addition to an overview of current debates, Grassroots to Government comprehensively explains the state of evidence in joined-up government, accompanied by an in-depth case study of the experiences of a national joined-up initiative-the Australian Social Inclusion Agenda. In doing so, it offers both a breadth and depth of knowledge on joined-up government.Grassroots to Government is essential reading for anyone interested in designing, implementing and evaluating joined-up and whole-of-government initiatives, including: public service professionals, academics, community sector practitioners, and advanced level students in public policy, social policy and public administration.

Dr Gemma Carey works at the Regulatory Network at the Australian National University. She holds a PhD in social policy and population health from the University of Melbourne. Her research sits at the critical interface between public health, public administration and social policy. She has published widely on processes of 'joining up' within government and between government and non-government organisations and the intersection between public administration and public health. In addition to her academic research, Gemma runs a policy forum-the Power to Persuade (PTP), an annual symposium and blog aimed at improving the relationships between policymakers, academics and the community sector.