The why and how of partnerships: policy and governance foundations

Abstract

As we near the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the popularity of partnerships, as a clear signal of current policy fashion, and pre-eminent form of governance, shows few signs of waning. It is, therefore, timely to examine the policy and governance foundations that underpin partnerships, to demonstrate why partnerships have conceptual appeal in addressing contemporary governance challenges, how they work, and whether they represent a fundamentally different governance model in practice. Partnerships as a local manifestation of network governance are examined, and Primary Care Partnerships, established in Victoria in 2001, are used as an exemplar of one particular form of partnership. This paper asks questions about whether these partnerships display attributes of network governance, in relation to whether they deliver benefits such as strong interorganisational relationships, and whether policy is coproduced. Applying theories of governance and social network analytic concepts and tools to an examination of partnerships shows that centrally mandated and funded partnerships are hybrid forms, blending hierarchy, market and network governance elements. It also demonstrates that they do have network characteristics in terms of relationships and policy making.

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