Abstract
Intersectoral partnerships mirror the changing nature of the relationships among state, business
and civil society organizations, and are often considered innovative mechanisms to overcome
single actor failure in the context of globalization. This article analyzes the capacity of
partnerships to promote sustainable change in global agrifood chains from a governance and a
development perspective. The global coffee, cotton, and cocoa chains serve as main fields of
application. From a governance perspective, the emergence of partnerships is largely positive
inasmuch as partnerships act as initiators and agents of change which, although still mostly
confined to niche markets, unfolds a chain-wide governance effect. From a development
perspective, partnerships can be viewed critically as their top-down and business-driven nature
leads to uncertain benefits for producers and results in the marginalization of certain
development concerns. These differing conclusions can be explained by the fact that partnerships
largely embody the neoliberal agenda, which raises specific questions, particularly from a
development perspective.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 13-38 |
Journal | International Food and Agribusiness Management Review |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | B |
Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Keywords
- public-private partnerships
- climate governance
- coffee certification
- business
- sector
- initiatives
- impact
- south
- standards
- networks