Learning How to Learn : Challenges and Learning Experiences in a Network of Southern African - North European Municipal Partnerships

Sammanfattning: In the light of the urgence of cooperation in the world, for handling global issues, this study offers a discussion on bilateral cooperation, more specifically on municipal partnerships. While previous research has examined some specific cases on possibilities and challengeswith this kind of cooperation, the view of proven efficiency in relation to the symbolic value has fallen short. The organization Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy offers a Network for Human Rights and aims to promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences between local authorities. This study, which is based on ten in-depth qualitative interviews, ought to explore what challenges and learnings can be found in ongoing municipal partnerships, in this Network. The study further aims to explore how those findings relate to a North and South perspective and the municipalities’ values and goals, by collecting experiences from South Africa, Zambia, Botswana and Sweden. Through a thematic analysis process of the empirical data and the use of a theoretical framework in the field of organizational learning, developed by Chris Argyris and Donald A. Schön, this study has been able to identify several findings. Challenges involve implementation, cultural obstacles and lack of resources, which prove to be divergent between North and South. Values and goals of the partnerships are hence hard to perform in practice. The outcomes circle practical activities, however, the most evident outcome is to learn from one another, which puts the learning experiences in focus of the study.