Edinburgh Napier University

  Partnerships to promote urban economic regeneration are widespread, but the theoretical basis of for understanding such partnerships is poorly developed. This paper presents an exploration of such partnerships and draws lessons for their improvement. It uses examples from economic development based urban initiatives in Scotland. It considers forms of partnership, and their advantages and disadvantages from theoretical and empirical perspectives. It is argued that, despite the diversity of partnerships, there are general components that can begin to build towards a more general framework. From an analytical perspective, it is argued that in order to fully understand the behaviour and policies of organisations involved in urban regeneration, it is necessary to consider their partnerships and the associated relationships with networks of other actors, including the flows of resources, power, and information within these networks.