Sustained Cooperation: The Synergy of Dynamics of Cross-sectoral Cooperation in the Reform of "streamline administration and delegate power, improve regulation, and upgrade services" — A Case Study of China

How to promote continuous collaboration among government departments? The theory of collaborative governance suggests that the synergy of dynamics can promote the intrinsic linkage between dynamics to enhance the continuity of cross-sectoral cooperation dynamics. This paper constructs an analytical framework for the collaboration dynamics of cross-sectoral cooperation, and examines the synergistic relationship between dynamics in two dimensions: "internal-external" and "positive-negative". It is found that sectoral interests, conflicting goals, departmentalism and mismatch of authority and responsibility are the underlying causes of governmental cross-sectoral cooperation failures. To address these problems, this paper proposes the thought of dynamic synergy to stimulate positive motivation, weaken negative motivation, and balance the effect of internal and external motivation. Specific strategies include clarifying goals, establishing evaluation and incentive mechanisms, using negative incentives discreetly and combining them with positive incentives, improving the power and responsibility list system, safeguarding the affairs of cooperating departments, and establishing cross-sectoral cooperation mechanisms. The research provides beneficial insights for improving the sustainability of governmental cross-sectoral cooperation, and expands the application scope and practical significance of collaborative governance theory, providing new perspectives and ideas for research in related fields.