ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a critical examination of the phenomenon of cross-sector partnerships and their impact on poverty eradication, through the analysis of six case studies, three from Zambia and three from South Africa. It provides a descriptive case studies, analysis and evidence-based conclusions which can potentially inform policy-making at national and international levels. The effect of cross-sector partnership on development policy certainly reflects in part the acknowledged failure of successive waves of political initiatives. The central problem addressed by Working Together is whether the creation of cross-sector partnerships is an effective mechanism for delivering projects which will contribute to poverty eradication. While the emergence of a robust critique of cross-sector partnerships has been a welcome counter-balance to the often uncritical endorsement of partnerships by governments and international agencies, criticism itself needs to be tempered by a realistic appraisal of the achievements of actual partnership projects at the level of service delivery.
