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Abstract

This paper draws on the findings from a research project on partnership arrangements between
the police and housing departments on three Australian public housing estates to tackle problems
associated with illicit drug activity and anti-social behaviour (ASB). The analysis focused on
the setting up of the partnerships and the interactions that followed from these institutional
arrangements. The assumption that informs the paper is that when studying partnerships there
is a need for a more critically framed analysis. The temptation to posit ‘a successful model’ of
what partnership entails and then to judge practices in relation to this model is considerable, but it
inevitably falls into the trap of constructing a narrative of partnership success or failure in terms of
individual agency (that is, the degree of commitment from individuals). The analysis undertaken
in this paper has therefore sought to fathom a more complex set of organizational processes. Rather
than confine the discussion to issues of success and failure, the study foregrounds the subjective
accounts of individuals who work within partnership and the constraints they encounter. The
paper therefore makes explicit the cultural tensions within and across agencies, contestation as to
the extent of the policy ‘problem’, and the divergent perspectives on the appropriate modes of
intervention.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Jacobs, K
Journal or Publication Title:	Public Administration
ISSN:	1467-9299
DOI / ID Number:	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2010.01851.x
Additional Information:	The original publication is available at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/
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