Joined-up government is a complex, expensive and elusive goal, which has captured the imaginations of public administrators since the 1950s. It offers great promise for tackling the complex or 'wicked' policy problems that concern the governments of industrialised countries. Despite ongoing interest, there remains and absence of core methods and principles to make joined-up governance work in practice. Grassroots to Government comprehensively explains the state of evidence in joined-up government, illustrated by an in-depth case study of the implementation experiences of a national initiative, the Australian Social Inclusion Agenda.

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Dr Gemma Carey works at the Regulatory Network at the Australian National University. She holds a PhD in social policy and population health from the University of Melbourne. Her research sits at the critical interface between public health, public administration and social policy. She has published widely on processes of 'joining up' within government and between government and non-government organisations and the intersection between public administration and public health. In addition to her academic research, Gemma runs a policy forum-the Power to Persuade (PTP), an annual symposium and blog aimed at improving the relationships between policymakers, academics and the community sector.