Partnering with civil society: an electronic discussion on partnership for development

Part of this discussion focuses around the conception that what makes partnership different from other forms of participation and collaboration are its implied components of equality of decision making and mutual influence. Other 'principles of partnership' delineated by NGO scholars include mutual trust and respect, reciprocal accountability, transparency, and, though less common, a long-term commitment to working together and building the capacity of one's partners.

It can be argued that the appropriateness of a partnership approach is dependent upon the attitudes of the proposed partners and other factors in the environment that can support partnership work. Are the proposed partners willing to embrace partnership in all its dimensions? Is it possible to come to agreement among them on what those dimensions are and how they should be articulated for accountability purposes? On the other hand, is full agreement up-front necessary to initiate partnership exploration or even partnership work? Must one begin with an 'enabling' environment? In other words, can partnership be designed or must it evolve? Under what circumstances is one approach more effective than the other?

Back to Ethical Principles document index