Understanding cross-sector partnerships for development

Cross-sector partnerships between communities, corporations, governments, donors and civil society organisations are being promoted as means for sustainable development. They offer a new approach that challenges the traditional donor-recipient relationship. However, there is little solid research to indicate which partnership models have the greatest potential to eradicate poverty.

In South Africa, a suitable environment for cross-sectoral partnerships developed in apartheid’s final years as the business sector supported change and became involved in mediation and peace-building initiatives. This led to the development of alternative ‘public-private’ and ‘public-community’ forms of service delivery as key elements in the new democratic government’s priorities.

In Zambia, a deterioration in education and health services following economic liberalisation led the government to realise it needed partners. Donors and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) initiative have encouraged cross-sector collaboration in which the role of the state is reduced to that of providing a framework for development. Zambian companies have come under pressure to show how they benefit society and are moving from philanthropy to long-term and sustainable involvement with communities.

A report from the University of Cambridge, UK, analyses six current cross-sector partnerships in South Africa and Zambia. These partnerships cover the sectors of health, education and agriculture, and include the Zambia Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, the South African Sugar Association’s work with government agencies and corporations working with Zambian universities.

Key findings include:

• How effective a partnership is depends directly on the context in which it happens: in South Africa, government clearly favoured partnerships, while in Zambia the primary driving factor was extreme poverty.
• The organisation, governance and management of a partnership and its projects have a strong influence on its effectiveness: most of the partnerships studied had not developed core principles for working together or good communication strategies.
• As partnerships developed, they relied on a range of roles and skills: brokers were involved in creating partnerships, as were strong individuals and institutions in driving the process forward.
• All the partnerships have been concerned in some way about resources, particularly financial support, without which a number of respondents have suggested they would ‘fail’: this is especially the case in Zambia.
• The case studies demonstrate that partnerships need to be flexible enough to withstand internal and external change: all the partnerships have already addressed many threats and difficulties
• Few, if any, of the partnerships have regular evaluation procedures built into their systems and projects.

Study of cross-sector partnerships is urgently required. In particular it is vital to understand the context and incentives for partnerships, as this will help respond to potential problems that may occur. It is also important to:

• avoid raising false expectations through partial solutions, especially when delivering key services such as basic education that might normally be considered the responsibility of government: this could disguise the severity of the problem and prolong its existence
• not assume that there are ‘readymade’ models of partnership or partnership projects that can be applied to every situation: replicating successes often requires the copying of processes and learning rather than copying activities
• recognise the value of, but avoid dependence on strong individuals, institutions and partnership brokers
• realise that ‘top-down’ government-led partnerships can cause problems
• establish a shared and realistic business model, with clear organisation and communication, to guarantee sustainability in the long term
• regularly review objectives and ensure partnerships can adapt to changing circumstances, including ending the partnership if this is planned.

Source(s):
‘Working together: a critical analysis of cross-sector partnerships in Southern Africa’, University of Cambridge Programme for Industry, An EC-PREP Report, by Melanie Rein, Leda Stott, Kavwanga Yambayamba, Stan Hardman and Stuart Reid, 2005 (PDF) Full document.
Further details about this research project 'A critical analysis of cross sector partnerships in Southern Africa - Do they work and are there identifiable patterns of good practice?' Full document.

Funded by: UK Department for International Development, European Community-Poverty Reduction Effectiveness Programme (EC-PREP)

id21 Research Highlight: 7 February 2006

Further Information:
Melanie Rein and Stuart Reid
The University of Cambridge Programme for Industry
1 Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1QA
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1223 342100
Fax: +44 (0) 1223 301122
Contact the contributor: melanie.rein@cpi.cam.ac.uk; stuart.reid@cpi.cam.ac.uk

The University of Cambridge Programme for Industry

Kavwanga E.S. Yambayamba
The Partnership Forum
Department of Agriculture
University of Zambia
Lusaka
Zambia

Tel: +260 1 295422
Fax: +260 1 295213
Contact the contributor: Eyambayamba@agric.unza.zm

University of Zambia

Stan Hardman
The Leadership Centre
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Durban 404
South Africa

Tel: +27 31 2601383
Fax: +27 31 2601610
Contact the contributor: hardmans@ukzn.ac.za

Leadership Centre, University of KwaZulu-Natal

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'A public-private partnership: fighting tuberculosis in South Asia'

'Can partnerships deliver electricity to boost livelihoods?'

'Outsourcing of government services: could the UK model be reproduced globally?'

'Can the local business community bring peace to Colombia?'

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