Seminar-Paper

Partnership or power? Deconstructing the 'Partnership for Governance Reform' in Indonesia

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This article critically examines the concept of 'partnership', ubiquitous in contemporary development aid discourses. It investigates whether the language of 'partnership' signifies a change in aid relations away from the stark exertion of power characteristic of the conditionality decades of the 1980s and 1990s, or, conversely, whether 'partnership' is merely the latest guise behind which power-based relations continue to operate. A conceptual framework facilitates the deconstruction of the recently established 'Partnership for Governance Reform' in Indonesia, posited as a co-operative venture between national stakeholders and the international community. Elements of partnership or of power are sought through an examination of decision-making structures and activities. Findings are of the largely rhetorical and instrumental use of 'partnership' by international actors. Although there is nominal control by Indonesian actors, decision-making bodies are constructed in a manner which ensures that the reform agenda of international agencies remains relatively unchallenged, both in terms of what is included and excluded. Contrary to the official discourse of partnership as encouraging locally formulated reform strategies, the notions of 'partnership' and 'local ownership' simultaneously disguise and legitimise the interventions of international agencies in domestic reform processes, serving to mystify power asymmetry.

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Availability

SP-0106

Reference Shelf

Available

Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

SPR-GG-0007

Publisher

: ., 2003

Collation

15p.; 30cm

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Classification

SPR-GG-0007

Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

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Subject(s)

Good governance
Partnership
Indonesia

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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