Partnerships and local economic development: what role for local governments?

An extensive body of recent literature has focused on partnerships between the public, private and voluntary sectors. But the existent theoretical and empirical literature does not provide conclusive answers to crucial questions: are partnerships up to expectations? Are they effective? Further, how can successful partnerships be built at the local level? And finally, is there a role for local government? The paper attempts to shed light on these issues using evidence from a case study of one city – Birmingham, England – where partnerships in local economic development have been a focal theme in the local policy discourse and practice for many years. Drawing from the outcomes of a survey of Birmingham service sector businesses, the paper shows that a local government could foster a trustful local climate which in turn positively impacted on local collaboration for economic development. The businesses that responded to the survey were generally supportive of the city council initiatives for local economic development, suggesting that a local government can effectively take action in partnerships with the support of the business community.