A regression model explaining predisposition to collaborate

[First paragraph of Introduction]: In Canada the last two decades of the 20th century have been characterized by government policies that focus on stimulating the economy as a strategy for improving overall quality of life. This Ahard right turn@ has made tax cuts a priority over social program expenditures, and private sector efficiencies have been promoted as the most effective response to financial challenges (Jeffrey, 1999; McBride & Shields, 1997; Tester, 1996). Voluntary organizations in Canada have had to adapt to this new environment. Both federal and provincial governments have been withdrawing from direct service provision in several areas of social welfare with the expectation that the voluntary sector will fill any resulting gaps in the social safety net. At the same time, a decrease in government support for the voluntary sector has limited its capacity to respond to an increased demand for its services (Hall & Banting, 2000). In Canada, on average 64% of revenues for voluntary organizations have come from government grants and payments (Hall & Macpherson, 1997). The federal government limited transfer payments for various social programs (Tester, 1996), and as a result, the provinces began a systematic retrenchment of these programs (Torjman, 1996). With such intense dependence on the government, any change in transfer payments is bound to have a noticeable impact on the sector (Rice & Prince, 2000). This paper focuses on interorganizational activities among voluntary organizations as a response to the funding changes being experienced by the sector. Specifically, we develop a model that presents collaborative behaviour as a function of organizational characteristics, environmental pressures and organizational attitudes. Keywords: CVSS, Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies, Working Paper Series,TRSM, Ted Rogers School of Management Citation: