Power in partnership? An analysis of an NGO's relationships with its partners

Abstract

This article analyses partnership relationships between NGOs and donors. Using a framework adapted from Dahl (1957) to explore issues of power in the relationships of a US-based development NGO, it questions whether the current emphasis on organizational partnership is useful or whether in practice and in theory greater recognition should be given to the importance of individual relationships. It examines whether asymmetrical relationships can be termed partnerships and highlights the potential for such a discourse to reinforce existing power inequalities. Reproduced by permission of London School of Economics