Strengthening North-South Partnerships for Sustainable Development

Although American private voluntary organisations (PVOs) have been working for more than a decade on improving their partnerships with Southern NGOs, current surveys indicate that there is still a gap between PVO and Southern NGO perceptions of effectiveness. On the basis of a comparative analysis of four case studies of partnership between United States PVOs and African NGOs, this article suggests that the remaining barriers to effective partnership are found in the PVOs' internal systems for financial and management control. These systems are more attuned to the demands of accountability, as conceptualised in agency theories, than to the demands of partnership as conceptualised in collaboration theories. This article proposes an integrative concept, collaborative accountability, and recommends a number of proactive and practical change strategies for PVOs wishing to continue to improve their partnerships.

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