Welcome to the second issue of the Journal of Partnership Brokering ‘Betwixt and Between’! This issue is focused on partnership brokering and evaluation. As the deployment of individuals and brokering units to facilitate cross-sector partnerships rises, so does the interest in the partnership brokers’ role in evaluating / reviewing partnerships – what role should they play and how can they add value to the assessment process? It is also important to assess the impact of the partnership brokering approach and its added value. There is the growing interest in knowing more about the efficiency and effectiveness of partnership brokering – whether from donors, partners or the growing number of those operating as partnership brokers. All this will aid a more rigorous assessment of the partnership broker approach as a paradigm capable of comparison with other approaches to development collaboration. Evaluation is as much about examining the nature, quality and efficacy of the core processes and practices adopted as it is about the performance and impact of the partnership broker in partnership effectiveness. Such a multidimensional perspective can be found in the four-fold brokering evaluation framework developed by the Partnership Brokers Association (PBA). Joanne Burke describes this framework in her article reporting on the outcome of a PBA- organised workshop on brokering evaluation. This brought together a group of partnership brokers from different... Read the article
Abstract: When individuals and partners baulk at the thought of being evaluated, they may have formed an expectation that the proposed ‘review and evaluation’ is masquerading as an exercise in criticism and passing judgment, ‘blaming and shaming’ and issuing penalties. Such negative connotations are not conducive to building strong, open and resilient partnerships.... Read the article
Abstract: Reflecting the growing interest in understanding the role of partnership brokers, the author reports on the outcome of a PBA organized workshop where a group of partnership brokers gathered to explore their role in the review and evaluation of partnerships. The discussion focused around a framework proposed by the PBA on the four different types of roles a partnership broker can perform. Making... Read the article
Abstract: Based on her recent experience of a partnership review, the author reflects on the importance of emotional capital created through the relationship between the partnership managers as an important measure of the effectiveness of a partnership and whether it has a place in brokering evaluation. The power of emotional capital in a partnership Everyone is familiar with the concept of capital as a description of the assets and resources associated with an organisation or entity; human, intellectual, and financial capital are all frequently... Read the article
Abstract: There is increasing interest in generating substantive evidence of the impact that brokered partnerships have on the outcomes of multi-stakeholder partnerships. Evaluations of partnership broker approaches and indeed of the performance of individual brokers themselves contribute to such evidence. But what methodologies can be used to conduct such evaluations? Drawing from her experience of conducting an evaluation of... Read the article
Abstract: This article provides an overview of a review designed to evaluate and strengthen partnerships within a cluster of heritage organizations[1] in Newfoundland, Canada. This project took place at a time when a strong and sustainable partnership was becoming... Read the article
Abstract: This paper describes the case study of partnership between Ghanaian and Dutch private partners, the Ministry for Fisheries in Ghana, and the Dutch ministry for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands. The partnership was formed to undertake a project to establish a new commercial supply chain for fresh tuna and thereby address a number of social and environmental issues around the supply of tuna. This project was not successful, and the paper explores some of the reasons for this from a partnership perspective. The case study explains the sometimes divergent interests and motivations... Read the article
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Betwixt and Between is a journal published by the Partnership Brokering Association (PBA) to share ideas, developments and actions in cross-sector partnership
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