1. Working in Partnership Professor Peter Lloyd Director Ecotec Research and Consulting

2. Partnerships Colonise the World n Ecological perspectives – “that grows which works” (Boulding) n Ways of handling a turbulent and connected world - globalisation n Ways of handling the complex transaction costs of inter- connected problems n The expansion of partnership has a real ecological base (not a fad)

3. But Context is Vital n Member State “opportunity structures” influence outcomes; u Crowded platforms - struggling for a niche; u Receptive spaces – going with the grain and easily absorbed; u Spaces but resistance – opportunity but hard to make the political case at the centre;

4. “Wicked Issues” n BUT wherever it is: n Partnership will only have real political relevance where it tackles the “wicked issues” of the day: n The surest ground for it to thrive is where it can demonstrate real value added;

5. The IDELE Programme n Ecotec Commissioned by DG EMPL - 11 seminars over 3 years; n (I)dentify, (D)isseminate and (E)xchange good practice across a series of different topics, contexts; n Over 100 examples of good practice, 250+ local and national policy players in debate; n Website: reports, fiches, contacts;

6. The Key Lessons from IDELE

7. Partnership Value Added n Sense gaps better - mould central policy more to needs; tackle some with local strategies; n Offer “thinking out of the box”: creative action; n Mobilise commitment and planning and analysis “horsepower”; n Create new types of service delivery vehicles;

8. What Makes them Really Work n Shared vision and clear objectives; n Clear divisions of labour; n Reflexive trust – “we understand each other and can work together”; n Fair distribution of costs, benefits, rewards to underpin risk-taking; n Shared mutual learning over time;

9. The Partnership Success Checklist n Good fit – right for the mission? n Focus – clear about objectives? n Space to act – the right foothold in the governance structure? n Capacity/competency – right shape, management, leadership? n Reality check – addresses issues where it can make a difference?

10. What Gets in the Way n Not giving them enough time to grow the trust they need; n Pushing them too soon into delivery and driving faster change than can be handled; n Failing to design sustainable funding to support them properly; n Limiting them to targets set from outside;

11. Service Delivery Focus Level 1 (Base Capacity) Empowerment Focus Level 2 (Capacity +Delivery) Mature Multi-Purpose Partnerships (Umbrella Bodies) Social Enterprises Quasi-Public Service Delivery Bodies Complex Hybrid Forms Mixed Functions Local Partnerships Empowerment against Delivery Social Economy

12. Partnerships in Governance

13. Multi-faceted Problems n The more local the level, the more inter-connected are the problems; n National job inclusion policies can look one-dimensional – “find them jobs” - at central ministry level; n On-the-ground it may be jobs + skills + education + housing etc; n Integrated approach is vital;

14. Silos and Multi-Level Strategy n “Policy silos” not only divide up the connected elements but often involve different vertical levels; n Can block the beneficial effects even of good local horizontal partnerships (“in spite of”); n The question is “how can we break out of this?;

15. Finding a Route to Multi- Level Approaches n Policy actions can be:  Conceived at different levels;  Managed at different levels;  Implemented at different levels; n So various combinations possible; n Do more locally in each element; n Connect the levels to get the best outcome;

16. NationalRegionalLocal Conceived Managed Implemented L L L N N L N R L N R R R R L FUNCTIONS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS

17. The Strongest IDELE Lesson n Getting partnership right is not easy; n Transaction (hassle) costs can be high; n It can take longer you think to get it right; n It doesn’t make for quick delivery; n BUT – when it works it can be a powerful engine for creativity!