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New understandings of the problems of workforce and economic development have led to innovative, regionally focused industry-labour-public sector partnerships. The United States-based Industry Action Project (IAP) represents an innovative public sector program designed to reverse the decline of mature industries and their employees in economically challenged regions of the state of Massachusetts during the 1980s. The IAP model was organised around the development of industry sectors and was based on the ideas that all regional stakeholders needed to participate in regional and workforce economic development. Industry, labour and community leaders were brought together to identify and solve the problems of a key regional industry. Collaboratively, they developed a regional sector-focused stabilisation plan and formed a lasting relationship. This study focuses on two projects from IAP, one targeting the garment and sewing industry and the other focusing on the machine tool industry. The study examines the effect that social relations have on social partnerships and how the partnerships themselves can bring about change in regional social relations in the public interest. The study suggests that social partnerships are not simply technical problem solving forums. They can lead to development, rather than unconnected technical problem-solving activities, when they restructure regional social relations through which new opportunities emerge. Show less