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 partner..