Uncovering the societal harm of cross-sector partnerships: An intervention perspective

Stadtler, Lea, Hernández-Melgar, Eduardo, Knight, Helena H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8537-214X, MacDonald, Adriane, Hustad, Oda and Seitanidi, M. May 2026. Uncovering the societal harm of cross-sector partnerships: An intervention perspective. Business & Society 10.1177/00076503261468399

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Abstract

Cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) are widely recognized as vehicles for addressing societal challenges. Yet, their potential to generate harm to communities, the environment, and broader societal systems remains underexamined. Evidence is fragmented and context-dependent, obscuring broader patterns. Moreover, attribution challenges hinder efforts to trace observed harms to CSPs, particularly in the absence of well-specified mechanisms. To address this gap, we adopt an intervention perspective that centers on CSPs’ interactions with focal societal issues and conduct a qualitative meta-analysis of case-based evidence. This analysis identifies recurring patterns of societal harm, intervention flaws, and partnership-related antecedents. We integrate these insights into the HIDE framework (societal Harm, Intervention flaws, Design antecedents, and Evaluative challenges). The framework conceptualizes societal harm as multifaceted, helps identify pathways through which CSP design antecedents are associated with observed societal effects via intervention flaws, and provides a structured lens for reflecting on the assessment of societal harm.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	0007-6503
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	6 August 2026
Last Modified:	06 Aug 2026 11:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188762

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