Cross Sectoral Partnership

"A Workforce Development Resource

This resource is designed to provide workforce development/capacitybuilding knowledge and strategies for alcohol and other drug interventions that are sensitive to the needs of, and involve, familiesand children. The focus is on Family Sensitive Policy and Practice where there are parents and caregivers who misuse alcohol or drugs and who have children and adolescents under 18 years in their care."

In recent years, there is a trend of strong pressure on business from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), activists, communities, governments, media and other institutional forces. These groups demand that business adapts to their understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR). They are secondary or discretionary stakeholders who serve as a rudder for the company, acting as social and political agents that endorse organizational activities, making them socially acceptable and business-credible. This is a consequence of rising role and significance of NGOs, who are now promoting wider social issues, as well as providing the necessary products and services. Authors argue that this is a result of the smaller role of the government, which opens up more space for CSR and greater involvement of companiesand NGOs. For this reason, companies around the world enter into partnerships with their stakeholders, especially NGOs, in order to carry out their CSR activities. The aim of the paper is to explain the entity of cross-sectoral partnership, with emphasis on CSR and market-oriented public sector. In addition to the theoretical considerations of cross-sectoral partnership, the paper will offer results of the research of attitudes of NGO representatives Tuzla canton, about their relationship with local companies. The paper presents the potential for cross-sector partnership development as well as the positive attitudes towards this kind of partnership for examined NGOs. Finally, an appropriate conclusion is made, with recommendations for enhancement and improved of cross-sectoral partnership in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This paper uses data from a South Australian case study of a period of mental health reform (2000–2005) to answer the question of how different policy networks set agenda and implement policy to ensure that people with psychiatric disabilities have access to appropriate housing. Qualitative methods were used, including interviews (n = 31) and focus groups (n = 8) with non-government organisations (NGOs), consumers and carers and professionals from health, disability and housing sectors, and participant observation with South Australian NGOs (n = 52). These data were supported by a thematic analysis of national and State (i.e. South Australian) policies in mental health and housing sectors. The research indicated that, despite a number of ‘inter-sectoral projects’ and regional networks, the health and housing sectors were essentially separate policy systems with little integration. It also concluded that the absence of strategic integration across sectors leads to inadequate housing for people with a psychiatric disability. Research participants considered the need for better collaboration secondary to the need for additional housing and support resources and political commitment to such resources. A number of barriers and enablers to policy agenda setting and collaboration were identified. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy and policy processes which will support housing outcomes for people with psychiatric disability.

Social enterprises are a new phenomenon in the Baltic States. To create a substantial social impact in society and scale their business, social enterprises in Baltic states need to create partnerships and collaborate with different sectors. By forming partnerships with different sectors, social enterprises can provide effective solutions to social problems. The aim of this article is to identify the main factors for social enterprises to create successful collaboration and partnerships with private, and public sector organisations. The methods of research are an analysis of scientific literature, social entrepreneurs' interviews, content analysis. The study also analyzed the main obstacles for social enterprises to collaborate with different sectors. The empirical findings of the study disclosed how to improve partnerships development with private, and public sectors. Following the theoretical and empirical research, the article suggests possible means of improving and developing partnerships.

Social entrepreneurship research highlights the collaborative nature of social entrepreneurial efforts. Further, acknowledging the embeddedness of social ventures in the wider socioeconomic and cultural context, the literature stresses the need to move our analysis from the micro-level of intraorganizational practices to the meso-level of inter-organizational dynamics. To answer to these calls, the article engages Fligstein's and McAdam's theory of Strategic Action Fields (SAF) to investigate the dynamics of the interorganizational collaborative work of social ventures. Empirical material comes from the efforts of a social venture to scale up to a new city through developing a cross-sectoral collaboration with the city administration. Findings indicate the risk of mission-drift that weaker partners in SAFs run when collaborating with incumbent actors. In this doing, the study illustrates how a meso-level analysis can further our understanding of social entrepreneurial ventures in particular, and cross-sectoral partnerships in general.