A dysfunctional family of export promotion service providers? Collaborative governance in a complex and fragmented regional network

Compared to policy formation and development, the implementation of International Business policy has received limited scholarly attention. We address this gap by examining how export promotion policy is implemented through an export promotion network (EPN) comprising heterogeneous and independent export promotion service providers operating without hierarchical control or coordination. Drawing on the Collaborative Governance Framework (CGF), we interrogate the governance conditions underpinning policy implementation, focusing on composition, coordination, legitimacy and accountability. Using an extensive qualitative study of the EPN in West Yorkshire, UK, we identify five interrelated themes: Challenges, Competition, Complexity, Coordination and Community (the 5Cs), through which key collaborative governance conditions become observable in practice. While the regional EPN possesses many characteristics associated with effective collaborative governance, identified dysfunctionalities may hamper effective implementation. We discuss possible reforms that could enhance the efficacy of export promotion policy implementation. This study contributes to International Business Policy research by demonstrating how collaborative governance, originating in public policy and administration, can diagnose strengths, weaknesses and reform opportunities in fragmented EPNs. Our approach may also inform research design on the implementation of cross-frontier policies in different regional and national contexts.