Partnership Working Research Report: Social and Economic Partnership Project

Partnership Working Research Report: Social and Economic Partnership Project

Strategy Unit/Office of the Chief Researcher

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CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Introduction
• Background
• The policy context
• What is partnership?
• The research

Chapter 2: Findings - The Meaning, Role and Principles of Partnership Working

• Introduction
• The meaning of partnership
• How the Executive and partners view each other
• The role of partnership working
• Guiding principles and characteristics of good partnerships
• Summary

Chapter 3:Findings - Current Experience of Partnership Working

• Introduction
• An increase in partnership working
• Changes since devolution
• Success stories
• Disappointments
• Common problems and challenges
• Summary

Chapter 4:Findings - Suggestions for Improving Partnership Working

• Introduction
• Suggested improvements
• Summary

Chapter 5: Findings - Views on New Mechanisms for Working in Partnership

• Introduction
• Views on current partnership working mechanisms
• Is there a requirement for new partnership mechanisms in Scotland?
• Summary

Chapter 6: Overall Findings

Chapter 7: Conclusions

• Introduction
• Strategic considerations
• Cultural change
• Improving partnership working mechanisms

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks go to all participants who shared their views and gave their time to contribute to this project.

Thanks also to Jim McCormick, Director of the Scottish Council Foundation for facilitating and reporting on the roundtable events for external participants. The Scottish Council Foundation is a non-profit independent think-tank.

The project was undertaken by the Policy Unit (now Strategy Unit) and the Office of the Chief Researcher.

The Strategy Unit promotes medium to long-term thinking and undertakes strategic policy development for the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and senior management.

Scottish Executive Social Research teams work with Ministers, policy and analytic colleagues across Departments providing research-based evidence and advice for the development, implementation and evaluation of policy. The Office of the Chief Researcher (OCR) provides direct research support to the First Minister and Cabinet.

The research team was:

Stephen Boyd
Jenni Brooks
Fiona Hodgkiss
Mairi Macpherson