ABSTRACT
Reference in recent years to the principle and mechanism of partnership in policy programmes, particularly in the area of social and economic policy, has prompted an analytical interest in the subject. The extent, diversity and increasing complexity of processes and situations of poverty and social exclusion within the European Union has led to a reappraisal of the causes of exclusion and ways of promoting social cohesion. Partnership has been identified and tried out as a means of realizing the potential of agents, organizations and resources at different levels, from the local to the transnational.
