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.

Au Canada, les universités connaissent une intensification de leurs activités d'internationalisation sans précédent. À ce sujet, une enquête menée par l'AUCC (2014) met en évidence que le recrutement d'étudiants internationaux constitue la première des cinq priorités des établissements d'enseignement supérieur canadiens. En parallèle, plusieurs écrits témoignent de l’intérêt croissant que portent les chercheurs en sciences humaines et sociales pour l'internationalisation des universités. Ils mettent en évidence que, d’une province à l’autre, le processus d'internationalisation est relativement variable (Buckner et al., 2020; Taskoh, 2020). Au Québec, celui-ci varie également d'une institution à l'autre en fonction de plusieurs facteurs, tels que la langue d'enseignement et de communication (français ou anglais), la localisation géographique et les domaines d’études, ce qui crée des contrastes à l'intérieur même du système d'enseignement supérieur. Selon Jane Knight, le processus d'internationalisation se définit comme le « processus d'intégration d'une dimension internationale et interculturelle dans les missions et les fonctions de l'enseignement postsecondaire » (Knight, 2004, p. 2). Cependant, les caractéristiques de ce processus (justifications, bénéfices, résultats, activités et acteurs) divergent d'une institution à l'autre (Knight, 2004). Cette étude se focalise sur le développement des partenariats internationaux, qui sont l'une des composantes du processus d'internationalisation de l'enseignement supérieur, ainsi que sur les stratégies inhérentes à la construction et à la gestion de ceux-ci. Malgré la forte tendance à l'internationalisation qui caractérise les universités, développer des relations durables et stables dans un partenariat n'est pas une mince affaire. Il convient ainsi de consacrer davantage d'attention à l'analyse de la façon dont elles gèrent leur développement international et des bonnes pratiques qu'elles mettent en œuvre. En interrogeant des administrateurs d'universités québécoises sur les conditions de leur implication dans des partenariats, cette étude vise à examiner dans quelle mesure ils respectent le principe de réciprocité et quelles stratégies sont mobilisées dans sa mise en application. Le cadre conceptuel et d’analyse repose sur un assemblage de trois concepts: les « justifications » et les « stratégies d'internationalisation », tels que définis par Knight (2004) et la réciprocité. Des chercheurs se sont inspirés du concept de réciprocité (Galtung, 1980) pour examiner les conditions de développement et de gestion de partenariats internationaux (Leng, 2015, 2016; Mwangi, 2017; Wei et Liu, 2015). Le principe de réciprocité comprend quatre objectifs (équité, autonomie, participation et solidarité) par l'atteinte desquels une organisation sera à même de réduire les différences de pouvoir dans ses relations de coopération (Mwangi, 2017). Les données utilisées proviennent de neuf entretiens semi-dirigés menés auprès d’administrateurs et de coordonnateurs de projets de quatre universités différentes. Le processus d'analyse est marqué par une alternance entre analyse déductive et inductive. Les résultats montrent qu'au-delà de la rhétorique économique (présente notamment en matière de recrutement international), des justifications plus symboliques constituent l'un des moteurs de l'internationalisation. L'analyse souligne également la présence de différences dans les perceptions des participants selon qu'ils soient affiliés à des universités francophones ou anglophones. En outre, nous mettons en évidence plusieurs stratégies susceptibles d’instaurer des relations plus pérennes. Dans une certaine mesure, les administrateurs manifestent effectivement des stratégies associées au principe de réciprocité et les traduisent en actions concrètes. Bien que les résultats obtenus ne puissent être généralisés, ils donnent un aperçu des stratégies pouvant faciliter l'opérationnalisation des objectifs d'équité, de solidarité, de participation et d'autonomie. / In Canada, universities are facing an unprecedented increase in internationalization activities. In fact, a survey conducted by AUCC (2014) showed that Canadian institutions' most common top 5 priorities is international undergraduate student recruitment. Concurrently, in the Canadian literature, there is a growing interest regarding the study of the internationalization of Canadian universities. However, provincial variations regarding the internationalization process exist (Buckner et al., 2020; Taskoh, 2020). In Quebec, the internationalization of universities varies from institutions depending on several factors, such as the language of instruction (French-language universities or English-language universities), geographic location and the academic field. Therefore, it creates contrasting challenges inside the higher education system. According to Jane Knight, the internationalization process is defined as "the process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of post-secondary education" (Knight, 2004, p. 2). As mentioned by Knight (2004), the features of this process (rationales, benefits, outcomes, activities and stakeholders) fluctuate across institutions. In this study, we focus on the case of cross-border partnerships, which are one of the components of the internationalization process of higher education, as well as on the strategies inherent in the management of those partnerships. Despite the high demand from universities to engage in collaborations, developing successful and sustainable relationships is not an easy task. Nonetheless, more attention needs to be dedicated to investigating how universities cope with their international development and best practices for success. In this light, our study aims to explore strategies in cross-border partnerships. By interrogating Quebec's administrators, it examines how far those partnerships are characterized by mutuality. Despite the extension of commercial approach and market-based values, we state that strategies and practices emerging from this study show great examples of how universities deal with their international development in a more collaborative way. The conceptual framework relies on a combination of three concepts: "rationales" and " strategies of internationalization" as defined by Knight (2004) and "mutuality". A number of researchers have drawn upon Galtung (1980) concept of mutuality to deeper understand cross-border partnerships development and management (Leng, 2015; Mwangi, 2017; Wei and Liu, 2015). The concept of mutuality comprises four goals (equity, autonomy, solidarity and participation) an organization can reach so as to reduce power differences in collaborations. This study follows a qualitative research design and uses a hybrid process of deductive and inductive analysis. Our data comes from nine semi-structured interviews conducted with administrators. The findings show that despite an economic-related logic (especially when it tales to recruit international students), it is clear that symbolic rationales drive internationalization. Additionally, we find the existence of substantial differences between participants' perceptions from French-language and English-language universities. Importantly, we also highlight several strategies that can lead to more sustainable institutional relationships. To some degree, administrators manifest some aspects of mutuality and turn them into concrete actions. Even if the results cannot be generalized, the findings have important implications for the development of further international collaborations between universities. In fact, it provides insight into the strategies that can be linked to the goals of equity, solidarity, participation and autonomy.

Localism places a special value on the local, and is increasingly prominent as a political doctrine. The literature suggests localism operates in three ways: bottom-up, top down and mutualistic. To assess its impact, localism needs to be seen within the broader context of multi-level governance. Here localism is examined in relation to three major themes: place, public value (PV), and institutional design. Regarding place, a key distinction is drawn between old and new localism. Old localism is about established local government, while new localism highlights the increasing room for manoeuvre that localities have in contemporary politics. This enables them to influence wider power structures, for example through trans-local organizing. With regard to public value, localist thinking makes a key contribution to core PV domains such as sustainability, wellbeing and democracy, as well as to others like territorial cohesion and intergovernmental mutuality. As for institutional design, the study is particularly concerned with ‘sub-continental’ political systems. A set of principles for the overall design of such systems is proposed, together with a framework of desirable policy outcomes at the local level. This can be used to evaluate how effective political systems are at creating public value in local settings. The thesis presents a comparative study of localism in two significant, sub-continental clusters: India/Kerala/Kollam and the EU/UK/England/Cornwall. Both can be seen as contrasting ‘exemplars’ of localism in action. In India, localism was a major factor in the nationwide local self-government reforms of 1993 and their subsequent enactment in the state of Kerala. In the EU, localism has been pursued through an economic federalism based on regions and sub-regions. This is at odds with the top-down tradition in British politics. The tension between the two approaches is being played out currently in the peripheral sub-region of Cornwall/Isles of Scilly. Cornwall’s dilemma has been sharpened by Britain’s recent decision to leave the EU. The thesis considers the wider implications of the case studies, and presents some proposals for policymakers and legislators to consider, together with suggestions for further research.

La tesi “L’anàlisi de la qualitat de les relacions en l’àmbit de les Relacions Públiques. Aplicació d’un model global d’auditoria de Relacions Públiques a la societat municipal 22@ de l’Ajuntament de Barcelona” se centra, en primer lloc, a elaborar una síntesi de les diverses aportacions sobre el marc conceptual de l'auditoria de Relacions Públiques, és a dir, de quines teories es desprèn aquest instrument d'investigació, el seu origen i la seva evolució històrica, les variables que es mesuren en una auditoria de Relacions Públiques, les definicions i els tipus d'auditories en aquest àmbit, i els diversos models de mesura citats pels autors que han tractat aquest assumpte en les seves respectives obres, i en quines teories s'han inspirat. Tota aquesta tasca amb l'únic objectiu d'obtenir evidències que poguessin respondre a la pregunta que es formula a l'inici del treball, de quina manera es pot justificar l'actuació de les Relacions Públiques? i, al seu torn, contrastar amb la hipòtesi que es planteja conforme si és possible mesurar l'actuació de les Relacions Públiques es podran obtenir els arguments per justificar aquesta activitat. Una de les principals conclusions d'aquesta tesi ha estat que el que s'ha de mesurar exactament és la qualitat de la relació que estimula l'activitat de les Relacions Públiques entre una organització i els seus públics, donat que es confirma que aquesta és la comesa de la disciplina . I que els tres conceptes més estudiats en les diverses contribucions sobre el mesurament de l'activitat de Relacions Públiques centrats en la qualitat de la relació són: la mesura del grau de confiança que coexisteix, el nivell d'entesa entre actors, i la satisfacció recíproca de les parts implicades amb la relació que s'estableix. Amb aquesta i altres conclusions complementàries, en segon lloc, la tesi proposa un model hipotètic d'auditoria global de Relacions Públiques, que compila tota la documentació estudiada i que presenta la base de la investigació empírica d'aquesta tesi doctoral. Conseqüentment, si en primera instància aquesta tesi s’ha volgut constituir en una primera aproximació a l'estat de la qüestió de les auditories de Relacions Públiques, contrastar el model hipotètic ha volgut ser el motiu del treball empíric de la tesi. L'exercici exploratori ha consistit a aplicar el model proposat com a hipòtesi del treball i ha procurat detectar i exposar els punts febles del model, però també destacar el seu grau de validesa. Per dur a terme aquesta tasca, s'ha estudiat la qualitat de les relacions, mesurada a raó de les variables cognitives més estudiades en les diverses contribucions sobre la mesura de l'activitat de les Relacions Públiques - la confiança, l'acord o enteniment mutu i la satisfacció -, entre la societat municipal 22@ de l'Ajuntament de Barcelona i el col•lectiu d'empreses que formen el clúster TIC del barri del Poblenou de Barcelona. Les conclusions d'aquesta tesi doctoral il•lustren fins a quin punt el model pot ser una font de la que flueixin els arguments que validen una actuació de Relacions Públiques, i la informació estratègica que aporta per perfeccionar la medul•la d'un pla de Relacions Públiques específicament, i de comunicació en general. / La tesis “El análisis de la calidad de las relaciones en el ámbito de las Relaciones Públicas. Aplicación de un modelo global de auditoría de Relaciones Públicas a la sociedad municipal 22@ del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona” se centra, en primer lugar, en elaborar una síntesis de las diversas aportaciones sobre el marco conceptual de la auditoría de Relaciones Públicas, es decir, de qué teorías se desprende este instrumento de investigación; su origen y su evolución histórica; las variables que se miden en una auditoría de Relaciones Públicas; las definiciones y los tipos de auditorías en este ámbito; y los diversos modelos de medición citados por los autores que han tratado este asunto en sus respectivas obras, y en qué teorías se han inspirado. Toda esta labor con el único objetivo de obtener evidencias que pudieran responder a la pregunta que se formula al inicio del trabajo ¿de qué forma se puede justificar la actuación de las Relaciones Públicas? y, a su vez, contrastar con la hipótesis que se plantea conforme si es posible medir la actuación de Relaciones Públicas se podrán obtener los argumentos para justificar esta actividad. Una de las principales conclusiones de esta tesis ha sido que lo que se debe medir exactamente es la calidad de la relación que estimula la actividad de las Relaciones Públicas entre una organización y sus públicos, puesto que se confirma que éste es el cometido de la disciplina. Y que los tres conceptos más estudiados en las diversas contribuciones sobre la medición de la actividad de Relaciones Públicas centrados en la calidad de la relación son: la medición del grado de confianza que coexiste; el nivel de entendimiento entre actores; y la satisfacción recíproca de las partes implicadas con la relación que se establece. Con esta y otras conclusiones complementarias, en segundo lugar, la tesis propone un modelo hipotético de auditoría global de Relaciones Públicas, que compila toda la documentación estudiada y que presenta la base de la investigación empírica de esta tesis doctoral. Consecuentemente, si en primera instancia esta tesis ha querido constituirse en una primera aproximación al estado de la cuestión de las auditorías de Relaciones Públicas, contrastar el modelo hipotético ha querido ser el motivo del trabajo empírico de la tesis. El ejercicio exploratorio ha consistido en aplicar el modelo propuesto como hipótesis del trabajo y ha procurado detectar y exponer los puntos débiles del modelo, pero también destacar su grado de validez. Para llevar a cabo esta labor, se ha estudiado la calidad de las relaciones, medida por razón de las variables cognitivas más estudiadas en las diversas contribuciones sobre la medición de la actividad de Relaciones Públicas -la confianza, el acuerdo o entendimiento mutuo y la satisfacción-, entre la sociedad municipal 22@ del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona y el colectivo de empresas que forman el clúster TIC del barrio de Poblenou de Barcelona. Las conclusiones de esta tesis doctoral ilustran hasta qué punto el modelo puede ser una fuente de la que fluyan los argumentos que validan una actuación de Relaciones Públicas, y la información estratégica que aporta para perfeccionar la médula de un plan de Relaciones Públicas específicamente, y de comunicación en general. / The principal objective of this work is to explore and elaborate and synthesize the diverse contributions to Public Relations auditing as a theoretical framework. Which theories does this investigative instrument arise from? What is its origin and historical evolution? What are the variables that are measured in a Public Relations audit? What are the various definitions and the typology of audits in this particular domain? Which variations of different assessment models have been cited by scholars who have explored these issues in their studies, and which previous theoretical models have inspired them? This study has been conducted with the exclusive goal to gather data that may help respond to the questions posed at the outset of this work: In what way can one justify the pursuit of Public Relations activity, and –in accordance with our main hypothesis– is it possible to measure Public Relations’ effectiveness in order to obtain arguments that validate Public Relations as a professional occupation. One of the main conclusions of this thesis has been that the variable that should be precisely measured is the quality of the relationship that stimulates Public Relations activity between an organization and its various audiences since it has been ascertained that this is the main mission of the discipline. Furthermore it has become apparent that the three most intensely studied areas among the various theoretic contributions to measuring the quality of relationships in Public relations are: measuring the degree of mutual trust, measuring the degree of understanding between the stakeholders, and measuring the degree of reciprocated satisfaction on the part of the various agents involved with respect to the rapport established between them. Secondly, this study submits a hypothetical model of global auditing in Public Relations which compiles all the data and material perused in the course of this investigation, and which represents the foundation of the empirical analysis. Thus, one the one hand this study has striven to provide a state of the question regarding the various approaches to the practice of Public Relations auditing, and on the other hand it has endeavored to put to the test the hypothetical model in an empirical analysis. This exercise has turned out useful in detecting and bringing to light the model's flaws, but at the same time it has served to showcase the validity of the approach. In order to carry out this task, we have scrutinized the quality of the rapport between the various agents involved in this PR activity with special focus on the cognitive variables that have receive the most scholarly attention in the discipline: trust, mutual understanding, and satisfaction. In the case at hand, the stakeholders were the Municipal Society 22@, the Barcelona City Council, and the group of companies that form the TIC cluster in the Poblenou neighborhood in Barcelona. The conclusions that were reached clearly illustrate to which degree this model can provide a focal point from which various arguments may arise that lend validity to a particular Public Relations venture. A second outcome leads to the conclusion that the theoretical model here submitted helps to perfect the core elements of Public Relations activity in particular and communication in general.

The research presented in this dissertation adopts an empirical Saussurean structuralist approach to elucidating the true meaning of the verb patterns characterised formally by vowel lengthening in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). The verbal system as a whole is examined in order to place the patterns of interest (III and VI) in context, the complexities of Arabic verbal morphology are explored and the challenges revealed by previous attempts to draw links between form and meaning are presented. An exhaustive dictionary survey is employed to provide quantifiable data to empirically test the largely accepted view that the vowel lengthening patterns have mutual/reciprocal meaning. Finding the traditional explanation inadequate and prone to too many exceptions, alternative commonalities of meaning are similarly investigated. Whilst confirming the detransitivising function of the ta- prefix which derives pattern VI from pattern III, analysis of valency data also precludes transitivity as a viable explanation for pattern III meaning compared with the base form. Examination of formally similar morphology in certain nouns leads to the intuitive possibility that vowel lengthening has aspectual meaning. A model of linguistic aspect is investigated for its applicability to MSA and used to isolate the aspectual feature common to the majority of pattern III and pattern VI verbs, which is determined to be atelicity. A set of verbs which appear to be exceptional in that they are not attributable to atelic aspectual categories is found to be characterised by inceptive meaning and a three-phase model of event time structure is developed to include an inceptive verbal category, demonstrating that these verbs too are atelic. Thus the form-meaning relationship which is discovered is that the vowel lengthening verbal patterns in Modern Standard Arabic have atelic aspectual meaning.

The aim of this dissertation is to undertake a study of the trinitarian ecclesiology of the North American evangelical theologian Stanley J. Grenz (d.2005), along with his imago Dei theology, revisioned social trinitarianism, narrative theology, incorporation of theosis, and theology of triune participation. This dissertation also utilizes the hermeneutical philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, in conjunction with Grenz’s trinitarian ecclesiology, to propose a missional and hermeneutical ecclesiology. Chapter one begins with an overview of Grenz’s theology and a discussion of the current state of Grenz scholarship. It then introduces Ricoeur’s hermeneutics of the self and theory of narrative identity. The chapter concludes with an overview of chapters two, three, and four. Chapter two traces the manner in which Grenz’s social trinitarianism and imago Dei theology yield a social imago. The first section overviews Grenz’s The Social God and the Relational Self, the social imago, the ecclesial self, his notion of ecclesial eschatological prolepsis, and his theology of triune participation. The second section responds to key criticisms of social trinitarianism, discusses Grenz and Ricoeur on the relational self, and outlines the manner in which Grenz’s theology of theosis and triune participation “in Christ” and through the Spirit yields an ecclesially oriented communal theo-anthropology. The final section takes up Grenz’s social imago and triune participation in relation to female/male mutuality in ecclesial participation and community. Chapter three discusses Grenz’s narrative theology and the development of a narrative imago. The first section overviews Grenz’s The Named God and the Question of Being and his development of the narrative of the divine name as the saga of the triune God, his further use of theosis, and the narrative imago arising within storied participation “in Christ” through the Spirit. The second section examines the continuity of Named God with Social God and argues that Grenz presents a revisioned social trinitarianism. The second section also considers Grenz and Ricoeur on the narrative self and proposes that Grenz’s ecclesial theo-anthropology now becomes a cruciform Christo-anthropology. The third section takes up the narrative imago and female/male mutuality and cruciformity as it arises from the ecclesial relation of storied and communal theotic triune participation. Chapter four treats the development of a Grenzian ecclesial imago and proposes a missional and hermeneutical ecclesiology. The first section presents Grenz’s ecclesiology as it is oriented towards mission and the connection of theosis, triune participation, and ecclesia. This section then proposes a missional grammar for the church as God’s ecclesial hermeneutics of community. The second section discusses potential charges of ecclesiological foundationalism, considers Grenz and Ricoeur on the summoned self, and extends Grenz’s theo-anthropology and Christo-anthropology into a missio-anthropology. The third section considers the mutuality and cruciformity of ecclesial “male and female” relation “in Christ” and through the Spirit, manifest in ecclesial friendship and hospitality, as the coming-to-representation and hermeneutics of community of the triune God. The conclusion offers a summary and possible avenues for further investigation.

The objective of the study was to observe the quality of the object-relations in maltreated and institutionalized boys and girls, assessed with the Rorschach inkblots and the Mutuality of AutonomyScale (MOA) of Urist. The participants were 23 children of both sexes, aged 8 to 10,who had been maltreated in their household and were institutionalized in an orphanage. The results showed that both tools reflect object-relations well. There are significant differences, depending on the sex, time of Separation from their maternal figure and the type of maltreatment they received. Furthermore, the children represent more adaptative, conventional and positive object relations what is related with their resources. / El objetivo fue conocer cómo es la calidad de las relaciones objetales en Jos niños y niñas institucionalizados, que han sido objeto de algún tipo de maltrato, a través del Psicodiagnóstico de Rorschach (Exner) y de la Escala de Mutualidad de Autonomía (MOA) de Urist. Los participantesfueron 23 niños de ambos sexos, entre 8 y 1 O años que habían recibido maltrato en su entorno familiar. El grupo de estudio provino de los niños institucionalizados que se encuentran internados en un puericultorio, pertenecientes a un sector socio económico bajo. Los resultados mostraron que ambos instrumentos reflejan la calidad de las relaciones objetales de manera adecuada. Asimismo, existen diferencias significativas de acuerdo al sexo, momento de separación de la figura materna y tipo de maltrato recibido. Por otro lado, los menores de nuestro estudio logran representarse relaciones más adaptativas, convencionales y positivas que nos ligancon sus recursos.

Longtemps considéré comme un sujet secondaire de la protection sociale, l’ancien combattantest une conception originale du XIXe siècle qui recense des difficultés de définition. A la foisun et multiple, sa place au sein de la cité s’inscrit dans les pratiques traditionnelles de charitéet d’assistance publique. Le contexte particulier de la perte des provinces de l’Alsace et d’unepartie de la Lorraine en fait pourtant un acteur exceptionnel.Avec le déclenchement de la Première Guerre mondiale et l’hécatombe humaine qu’elleentraîne, la perception de l’ancien combattant se concrétise et trouve une expression juridiquequi fait de lui un héros et un citoyen responsable et pacifiste. Entouré de puissantesassociations, il concourt à donner une impulsion morale à la société.Le cadre girondin est à ce titre intéressant pour une analyse de la notion d’ancien combattant,car ce nouveau sujet de droit active des mécanismes locaux de réinsertion sociale innovante. / Regarded as a secondary holder of social protection for a long time, the Veteran is an originalnotion of the nineteenth century which is difficult to define because it can refer to both orindividual and a group of individuals. His place in the town depends on traditional practicesof charity and state care.The particular context of the loss of Alsace provinces and a part of Lorraine made him,nevertheless, an exceptional actor. With the sparking off World War the first and its slaughter,the notion of veteran becomes more precise and gets as a juridical definition which wakes hima hero and a responsible and pacifist citizen. With the help of powerful associations, hecontributes to giving a moral impetus to society.The analysis of the notion of veteran in the girondist context is therefore interesting becausethis new holder of rights set going innovative local mechanisms of social rehabilitation.

As participants, we agreed that women's silenced voices need to be heard, more specific to this participatory action research, the voices of women with new babies. Through wellness pastoral care, we co-laboured in finding ways of standing up to prescribed religious and cultural ideas regarding womaness and motherhood. Pastoral care in partnership with feminist theology and mutuality in community opened a safe place to renegotiate our own preferred ways of seeing our bodies, selves, sexuality, and womaness. The pastoral care, counselling, and mutuality experienced as a research group became the prevalent characteristic of our wellness that we wished to extend beyond the group and into families, churches, community cohorts, and the planet. This research is one platform on which the participating women shared hurts, found a place to be heard, and having come to know our Self more deeply, offer this Self as a gift to the reader. / Practical Theology / M.Th.

With globalization the subject of partnership has become one of the main issues in World Mission. Partnerships are formed in all parts of the world in order to promote collaboration between churches, denominations, and mission organizations. Although good partner relationships are a desired objective, historical prejudices and cultural differences and bias lead to barriers which hinder good partnership relations. How can these barriers be overcome? Christian partnerships are usually only based on a collaboration of the partners and the Christian aspect in a relationship in World Mission is neglected. This study presents a theological basis for a Christian relationship in World Mission, coming from the creation of the human being in the image of God, the communion within the Trinity, especially the concepts of “kenosis” and “koinonia,” and the image of the Body of Christ. A second part of this study researches the historical and sociological aspects of partnership in order to identify barriers for a good partner relationship. The findings of the theological research will then be compared with the outcomes of the historical and sociological study and conclusions for an improvement should be presented. The foundation for mission-church relationship in a global context needs to be a spiritual relationship, since the acting partners come together on a basis of their Christian faith and are part of the universal Body of Christ. The kenotic attitude of the partners plays a major role in their relationship and the proposed model for functioning relationships in World Mission needs to be an organic-complementary communion. The last part then presents a new model for the relationship in World Mission, in which several elements of organic-complementary communion are described. These elements are living together in the Body of Christ, learning together, serving together, suffering and celebrating together, sharing together, working together, and discovering theology together. The study concludes with a proposal of a concept of a “common space” in order to show how such a new model could be lived out in the everyday relationships in World Mission. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)