Social Learning, academics and NGOs: Can the collaborative formula work?

Collaboration between NGOs and academics offers great potential for improving practical intervention as well as testing theories and challenging academic assumptions. In this article we reflect on why, despite a specific focus of an action research project on Social Learning as an appropriate process for change, the formalized `learning' part within the project was the most difficult to achieve. We argue that although at one level some of the pitfalls could easily be dismissed as bad practice, at another level, a critical analysis uncovers structural and cultural issues inherent to collaborative work between academics and practitioners. These further compound efforts to experiment with Social Learning as well as engage in action and research.