Networked Governance, Strategic Management, and Public Value Creation in Nigerian Local Governments

This dissertation examines how networked governance arrangements and strategic management practices interact to produce public value outcomes in Nigerian local government authorities, drawing evidence from local governments across the North Central and South South zones. Local governments represent the tier of public administration closest to citizens, yet strategic management scholarship has largely neglected this level of governance in the Nigerian context. Networked governance theory, public value theory, and strategic management in public organizations literature provide the theoretical foundation. The research employs a critical realist paradigm and comparative case design involving eight local government areas selected for variation in governance quality and development outcomes. Data were collected through sixty-one interviews with local government executives, elected councilors, civil society partners, and community leaders, combined with document analysis and observational research over twenty months. Realist synthesis analysis identified generative mechanisms linking governance arrangements to public value outcomes. Findings reveal that local governments achieving superior public value outcomes deploy strategic management frameworks that integrate multi-actor network coordination with performance accountability systems tied to citizen-defined value metrics. The study identifies strategic network leadership as a novel public management competency combining inter-organizational relationship management with political strategy skills unique to the local government context. The dissertation advances public sector strategic management theory through the development of the Nigerian Local Governance Value Creation Model. Keywords: networked governance, strategic management, public value, local government, Nigeria.