Partnership is strategic to the combat against social exclusion. It pulls together the projects’ stakeholders and particularly the victims of social exclusion and the territorial actors who are on the economic, social and political scene. Without the co-operation of all it is difficult, if not impossible, to make significant, lasting and sustainable progress. In spite of a diverse history, Partnership is applied today in the majority of local projects in a quite similar vein; it translates in rendering various agents accountable for combating social exclusion. As such it is a source of innovation, helping to bridge economic and social dimensions; it is used in the cultural sphere as a value, a principle and as an instrument and is espoused by different political and ideological leanings. In a nutshell, partnership is a more or less formalized process by which two or more different types of actors (public sector, private sector) agree to implement a plan of action, a programme or a joint project through strategies and actions - in this case, it is the fight against social exclusion.

Partnerships adopt different forms and shapes according to local social realities and organization features. There are opportunities and risks inherent in the play of actors. Some Keys issues including time, ability, imagination, relational characteristics including the profile of leadership and others related to the distribution of resources, power and the value of the symbolic are instrumental to the success of the project.

This document gives more information on the opportunities and risks of Partnership.

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