Research and Policy
TPI’s action research pushes the boundaries of the theory and practice of partnering; supports the development of tools and guides; and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and experience of partnership practitioners worldwide.
The Partnering Initiative is committed to supporting this process through its work in partnership evaluation, collaborative research and active publication. TPI not only captures, analyses and disseminates learning from its own projects – it also works with leading institutions to facilitate original research and to contribute to the wider community of partnership practitioners and theorists.
TPI’s think pieces and policy documents influence the global discourse to move from the rhetoric of ‘we need partnerships’ to the reality of massively scaling up the use and effectiveness of collaboration for the SDGs. TPI’s seminal Roadmap for the systematic engagement of business as partners in development – developed through a global consultation – was the first report to set out a clear framework for partnering at the country-level.
Developed with Laudes Foundation and the African Climate Foundation, in association with WAPPP, this original research and thought piece draws on the real experiences of 46 PPPPs around the world. It is designed to inspire and equip philanthropy with knowledge and insights to play its essential role in providing the ‘activation energy’ that can unlock the power of transformational Public-Private-Philanthropy Partnerships (PPPPs).
Hopes to achieve the SDGs by 2030 have all but slipped away. We must UNITE TO IGNITE a new wave of multi-stakeholder collaboration and unleash the power of partnership to deliver towards the SDGs and beyond. To do so we need to put in place a concerted and targeted effort to build the enabling accelerators for widespread partnering. This new report, based on results from a global survey, countless interviews and multiple events in person and online, provides the evidence and clarity on what needs to be done.
This report presents the findings of TPI’s analysis of partnership value creation across 14 Porticus programmes. From this analysis, the report identified four specific enablers of successful, value-creating collaboration funded by philanthropy.
Developed in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Foundation and the Z Zurich Foundation, this report sets out a framework to help make sense of the different ways in which philanthropic organisations can approach partnering to increase their impact (see below), as well as initial thinking on what foundations need to do to transform and build their institutional capacity to optimize their partnering.
The guide aims to draw on the best examples of sustainable and impactful partnerships addressing disadvantage and promoting mutual benefit and respect across the system, and work towards partnerships that deliver for young people to become embedded into the educational landscape.
In collaboration with Wageningen University and Research and the Institute of Development Studies, this guidance paper sets out how Multi-stakeholder Platforms (MSPs) can better use existing and new evidence and processes to assess their system-change role. It comes from experiences with four agri-food MSPs. It offers four steps for assessing effectiveness, plus six tips or lessons for putting these steps into practice.
This report has been produced for decision-makers and their advisors within governments and the UN system who are looking to more systematically drive partnerships for the SDGs, potentially through national-level, multi-stakeholder partnership platforms for the SDGs. It presents a platform typology to provide a basis for knowledge exchange, and a brief review of experience of different types of platforms.
This ‘Roadmap’ sets out a systematic approach to engaging with business as a partner in development. It recommends five essential areas for action within which government, development agencies, business organisations and civil society each have their roles to play. Taken together and tailored to a particular country’s context, these actions have the potential to create a sea-change to achieve the goal of partnerships between governments, business and civil society delivering their full potential in the global fight against poverty through sustainable development.
This report, produced with Bond, looks at the key trends which are currently influencing International Non-governmental organisation (INGO) partnerships. This brief study is based on survey questions and interviews with a range of humanitarian and development actors. We look at the ways in which INGOs and NGOs are responding to these changes and possible future scenarios.
Co-authored with World Vision, this paper takes a view of the current status of platforms for partnership at the national level and makes concrete proposals on ways to accelerate their progress and contribution to Agenda 2030. This work is based on recent semi-structured interviews with key informants across the stakeholder spectrum, including government, business, civil society and the United Nations.
In 2018, World Vision set out on an ambitious journey to invest in building its internal capacity in order to become ‘fit for partnering’ – i.e. having in place the right leadership and strategy, systems and processes, staff competencies and a culture that together allow it to maximise its partnering impact.
The report reflects on World Vision’s experience in implementing its Partner of Choice programme, with TPI’s support, to effect the necessary organisational change in its country offices.