'Partnership' as strategy: Public-private relations in education action zones

The article summarises recent political and theoretical presentations of 'partnership' and 'networking' and discusses their relevance to the understanding of contemporary education policy. It focuses in detail on the first stages of the establishment of Education Action Zones (EAZs) in two areas of England, describing in detail their patterns of governance, and the relationship they involve between 'public' and 'private' partners. It questions whether existing theorisations are adequate to understanding the dynamics of partnership in situations where there are substantial conflicts of interest between 'partners'. It concludes that 'partnership' in the EAZ context needs to be understood not as an established system of clearly-defined relationships but rather as a political strategy intended to accomplish a historic shift in the governance of education.