Power in partnership? an analysis of an NGO’s relationship with its partners

This paper 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 organisational partnership is useful or whether, in practice and in theory, greaterrecognition should be given to the importance of relationships between individuals. It examines whether asymmetrical relationships can be termed partnerships and highlights the potential for such a discourse to reinforce existing power inequalities.