Abstract

Many local governments have promoted food policies over the last decade by experimenting with «collaborative governance» processes, i.e. by involving private actors in highly structured public discussion processes and establishing public-private partnerships to implement policy ideas. Some collaborative governance processes experience setbacks and stalemates, especially in the transition from shared intentions to concrete actions, while others manage to perform well, triggering the realization of successful food policies in the urban areas. Which factors and mechanisms contribute to foster the strength and performance of collaborative governance in food policies is still unclear. Comparing different governance arrangements applied in the Turin food policy, the article aims to offer an explanatory hypothesis on the factors that may facilitate the performance of collaborative governance in this policy field.