foursector

Foursector is a term used in governance, public administration, and social enterprise to describe an integrated framework for organizing societal action across four sectors: the public sector (government), the private sector (for-profit businesses), the nonprofit or civil society sector, and the social economy or cooperative sector. The concept emphasizes that complex public and social challenges are best addressed through collaboration among all four domains, rather than relying on any single sector.

In this framework, each sector plays complementary roles. The public sector sets policy, regulation, and public legitimacy; the private sector contributes innovation, efficiency, and market-based resources; the nonprofit sector mobilizes volunteers, philanthropy, advocacy, and service delivery in areas where market mechanisms alone are insufficient; and the social economy or co-operatives deliver mission-driven services and products with ownership and governance models designed to align social and financial goals.

Cross-sector collaboration can take many forms, including joint policy development, public-private partnerships, co-design of services, cross-sector funding arrangements, social procurement, and impact investing. Proponents argue that such collaboration can increase resilience, unlock new resources, and improve outcomes by aligning incentives and leveraging diverse capabilities.

Challenges include governance complexity, power imbalances, differing objectives and accountability structures, funding cycles, and measurement of social impact. Because there is no single universally adopted definition, the term foursector is used variably across contexts, and practitioners may emphasize different configurations of the four domains. Related ideas include cross-sector collaboration, public-private partnerships, and the social economy.