Margerum, RichardRenirie, Alexandra2021-09-132021-09-132021-09-13https://hdl.handle.net/1794/26694Collaborative governance is an increasingly popular method for managing complex socio-ecological problems such as climate change. While collaboration seeks to involve diverse stakeholders in the decisions that affect their lives, little research addresses how structural power dynamics impact marginalized groups’ ability to exert influence within these processes. Practitioners and scholars commonly assume that inclusive participation will advance equitable participation without critically considering the fundamentally unequal systems in which collaboratives operate. This research expands on Jill Purdy’s framework for assessing power in collaborative settings and applies it to six regional climate collaboratives. Using a comparative case study model, interviews were conducted with coordinators and community-based organizations in each case. Their responses illuminated how power is wielded and managed in these groups and how process designers can help balance structural power. The resulting list of strategies are intended to support facilitators to actively promote equitable participation in this emergent form of governance.en-USAll Rights Reserved.Climate ChangeCollaborative GovernanceConflict ResolutionEquityElectronic Thesis or Dissertation