Current policy encourages 'partnerships' between statutory organisations and professionals; public and private sectors; with voluntary organisations and local communities. But is this collaborative discourse as distinctive as the government claims? These claims are critically examined, using evidence from a wide range of welfare partnerships.

Contents: Introduction Martin Powell and Caroline Glendinning; Partnerships, quasi-networks and social policy ~ Martin Powell and Mark Exworthy; Partnership and the remaking of welfare governance ~ John Clarke and Caroline Glendinning; What is a 'successful' partnership and how can it be measured? ~ Bob Hudson and Brian Hardy; Partnership at the front line: the WellFamily service and primary care ~ Karen Clarke and Kirstein Rummery; Building capacity for collaboration in English Health Action Zones ~ Marian Barnes and Helen Sullivan; Partnerships for local governance: citizens, communities and accountability ~ Guy Daly and Howard Davis; Partnerships with the voluntary sector: can Compacts work? ~ Pete Alcock and Duncan Scott; Dangerous liaisons: local government and the voluntary and community sectors ~ Gary Craig and Marilyn Taylor; 'Together we'll crack it': partnership and the governance of crime prevention ~ Gordon Hughes and Eugene McLaughlin; Regeneration partnerships under New Labour: a case of creeping centralisation ~ Jonathan S. Davies; Education Action Zones ~ Marny Dickson, Sharon Gewirtz, David Halpin, Sally Power and Geoff Whitty; Public-private partnerships - the case of PFI ~ Sally Ruane; Public-private partnerships in pensions policies ~ Sue Ward; Towards a theory of welfare partnerships ~ Kirstein Rummery.

"The concept of 'partnership' assumes many different forms in the complext world of British social welfare. Martin Powell and his co-authors provide a clear and comprehensive account of the origins and many practical applications of this concept." Robert Pinker, Emeritus Professor of Social Administration, London School of Economics