Towards effective and sustainable global academic partnerships through a maturity model informed by the capability approach

Abebaw Fekadu, Esubalew Assefa, Abraham Tesfaye, Charlotte Hanlon, Belete Adefris, Tsegahun Manyazewal, Melanie J. Newport, Gail Davey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

BackgroundShortage of skilled workforce is a global concern but represents a critical bottleneck to Africa’s development. While global academic partnerships have the potential to help tackle this development bottleneck, they are criticised for inadequate attention to equity, impact, and sustainability. We propose a new values-driven partnership model for sustainable and equitable global partnerships that achieve impact.MethodThe model was based on the authors’ experiences of participation in over 30 partnerships and used insights from the Capability Approach.ResultsWe developed an Academic Partnership Maturity Model, with five levels of maturity, extending from pre-contemplative to mature partnerships. The level of maturity increases depending on the level of freedom, equity, diversity, and agency afforded to the partners. The approach offers a framework for establishing a forward-looking partnership anchored in mutual learning, empowerment, and autonomy.ConclusionThis is a pragmatic model limited by the biases of experiential knowledge. Further development of the concept, including metrics and an evaluation tool kit are needed to assist partners and funders.
Original languageEnglish
JournalGlobalization and Health
Volume17
Issue number1
Early online date20 Nov 2021
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 20 Nov 2021

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Academic partnership maturity model
  • Capability
  • Global partnerships
  • Sustainable development goals

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