Whole-of-government and joined-up government: A systematic literature review

We conducted a systematic literature review of 340 journal articles (1992–2021) pertaining to whole-of-government (WG) and joined-up government (JUG)—two terms that denote public sector efforts to promote cross-boundary work and restructuring. This review clarifies and renews our understanding of developments with respect to WG/JUG research. While JUG articles do not appear to be increasing, the number of WG articles is on a general upward trend. As of 2021, more WG articles were published on countries other than the Western nations typically recognized as centers for these reforms, signaling increasing global relevance of the topic. These articles were published in over 200 journals and span various policy spheres, suggesting the wide impact research can have. While the qualitative studies we reviewed update the list of recommendations for effective WG/JUG, large-N hypothesis testing remains limited—a gap that can be addressed to generate robust knowledge on this topic. Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Public Administration published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.