S. Hodgett et D. Johnson, Troubles, partnerships and possibilities: A study of the Making Belfast Work Development Initiative in Northern Ireland, PUBL ADM D, 21(4), 2001, pp. 321-332
This article examines the theory and operation of development partnerships
through an analytical study of the Making Belfast Work (MBW) Initiative in
Northern Ireland. This initiative of the Northern Ireland Department of the
Environment contributed to the building of the current Northern Irish Peac
e Process. It illustrates the difficulties faced by a government in engagin
g in socio-economic development in one of the world's most difficult policy
environments. The history of the MBW initiative also provides insight into
the interaction of two contending models for organizing European Society,
namely 'Regulated Capitalism' and 'Neoliberalism' and the relationship of t
hese models to partnership theory. This study argues that motivations for t
he development of partnerships in Belfast defy easy theoretical classificat
ion; yet empirical evidence suggests that a twin-track approach-one from ab
ove, the European Union, and one from below, of indigenous policy evolution
-have together through policy diffusion made MBW a leading pioneer in partn
ership theory and practice. The article discusses the literature on partner
ship within New Public Administration outlining ideas on various classifica
tions of partnerships operative in the public sector. Particular attention
is paid to how partnerships of societal actors and government can effective
ly involve the local community through community development approaches. Co
pyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.