North-South academic partnerships as inherent ‘frictions’: what does this mean for IOB?

International partnerships are considered to be a strong and beneficial part of IOB’s DNA, but are taking place in a context of global inequalities – affecting these partnerships in a number of ways. This paper does two things. First, relying on the academic literature, the paper zooms out, and identifies a series of frictions influencing North-South academic partnerships in general - beyond the specifics of IOB. Concretely, it identifies the following four frictions: (i) asymmetries between North-South partnerships; (ii) the tension between the academic and developmental nature of these partnerships; (iii) the tension between international standards and local needs; and (iv) the way in which different political economies of research and teaching affect these partnerships. Second, the paper reflects how these above frictions play out in the IOB relations with its partner institutes. It for example highlights the various incentives of different actors, and how these can create additional frictions between and within different partners. It also thinks about ways to reduce these frictions and inequalities.