The importance of the local arena in planning for socio-economic development has gained widespread attention over recent years both in Ireland and further afield (Stohr, 1990; Bennett and Krebs, 1991; Bennett and McCoshan, 1993; OECD, 1990; Walsh, 1996; Maillat, 1997). This section commences with a brief review of the concept of development followed by a consideration of the rationale for local development initiatives and an identification of the key components of strategies for effective local development. The most important is the establishment of an organisational structure based on partnership. The concept of partnership is explored in some detail and the principal advantages and disadvantages of partnerships are discussed. The remainder of this section reviews a selection of studies that have assessed the role of partnerships in local development in diverse contexts.