Challenges of unequal power distribution in university-community partnerships

This dissertation examines power disparities based on structural inequality and life experiences of partners in a longstanding university-community partnership. The research is about the partnerships between the University of Illinois' East St. Louis Action Research Project and neighborhood-based groups in East St. Louis, Illinois. My work discusses who participates (roles of partners), how this participation takes place (the process) and outcomes of the planning process (content of planning documents).; There is a gap in the current literature on university-community partnerships concerning the actual state of engagement of community partners in what is claimed to be a participatory process. Analyses of data addresses this gap, by providing an empirical account, and comparing this to the ideals of the participatory action research model of engagement.; The literature demonstrates a lack of resident voices in the reporting of experiences of partnerships. A step by step analysis, of how a planning process is experienced by community partners, addresses this. A separate chapter discusses the partnership in terms of power and empowerment.; Internal inequities in communities that partner with universities are a topic of interest in the literature. It is pointed out that projects lacking direct awareness of gender tend to overlook opportunities and constraints tied to gender. In my research I consider outcomes of a planning process that failed to consider gender as a defining part of the needs of the community.; I highlight the importance of formal training of partners to address power discrepancies. It is pointed out that the power discrepancies lead to problems setting agendas that work well for both sides of the partnership. Another important conclusion is that the partnership exclusively works with the strongest groups within the community. My research supports the literature that states that lack of conscious attention to gender disparities will lead to products that are not inclusive of the needs of women and other minority groups, beyond the common good.