Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the efforts made at a local level, specifically through collaborative efforts among stakeholders in Kern County, to contribute to the prevention of teen pregnancy among Latinas. This examination was to understand collaborative public management, to find out who the stakeholders were and how these collaborations function, and ultimately, to find out which teen pregnancy prevention programs target young Latinas. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework of this study is directed by the collaborative public management theory and network structures theory. This research processes collaboration through the influencers that affect collaborations: trust, power, bargaining and negotiating, conflict management, evaluation, and strategy. Methodology. This research used a mixed-method approach of qualitative and quantitative methodology through a survey instrument and semistructured interviews in a cross-sectional approach. By approaching the topic from the qualitative and quantitative measures, it provides a well-rounded view of collaborations developed, if any, and how they are utilized among organizations. Findings. Local nonprofit teen pregnancy prevention programs are facilitating and operating in a multiorganizational arrangement for various reasons. Some are collaborating for a common goal to reach their target audience; all are collaborating for the ultimate goal of reducing teen pregnancy and to offset the expense of program costs. Most of the local programs are dependent on grant guidelines to direct their interactions with other public and private entities. Challenges to the collaborations include trust and power struggles among stakeholders as well as strategy and evaluation. Conclusions and Recommendations. This case study contributes to the understanding of collaboration by identifying influencers to an effective collaboration. These influencers, once identified, can open a dialogue or provide an opportunity to apply preventative measures. Considering the majority of teen pregnancy prevention programming is grant funded, it gave insight to some of the key challenges in the success of the program that policymakers may be able to address when creating grant-funding guidelines.