ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the challenge of defining and classifying partnership. Noting that the ambiguity of the term has enabled its assimilation within divergent worldviews, an examination of different interpretations of the term is undertaken. This inquiry suggests that partnership can be construed as a structure and as a process, as a means to an end and as an end in itself, and as a relationship based on values. A brief historical overview analyses the reasons for the preponderance of an instrumental conceptualisation of partnership which privileges the role of the private sector and managerialist practices. Calling for a revised view of partnership which transcends this narrative, the chapter concludes by linking partnership’s transformational potential to the extent to which intrinsic and relational elements are integrated into the practice of multi-stakeholder collaboration in diverse contexts.
