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Background: Latine communities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. It is critical to gain a better understanding of the sociocultural determinants that challenge and facilitate COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and booster uptake within these vulnerable communities to inform culturally congruent strategies and interventions. Methods: In summer 2022, our community-based participatory research partnership conducted 30 key informant interviews and 7 focus groups with 64 Spanish-speaking Latine participants in North Carolina. Interviewees consisted of representatives from health and service organizations, most of whom were engaged with direct service to Spanish speakers. Interviews were conducted in either English or Spanish, depending on the preference of the participant; all focus groups were conducted in Spanish. Interviews and focus groups were conducted in person or by videoconference. Results: Twenty themes emerged that we organize into four domains: general perceptions about COVID-19; barriers to COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and booster uptake; facilitators to COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and booster uptake; and recommendations to promote testing, vaccination, and booster uptake. Discussion: Results underscore important sociocultural determinants of ongoing COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and booster uptake to consider in developing interventions for Spanish-speaking Latines in the United States. Based on this formative work, our partnership developed Nuestra Comunidad Saludable (Our Healthy Community). We are implementing the intervention to test whether trained peer navigators can increase COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and booster uptake among Spanish-speaking Latines through blending in-person interactions and mHealth (mobile health) strategies using social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authoritarian, revisionist, and revanchist powers are exerting pressure on the liberal international order and challenging the United States' vital security interests across theaters. The United States will increasingly need to simultaneously tackle challenges in two critical theaters while also addressing global threats. To do so effectively, it will need to lean in and actively capitalize on its chief geostrategic advantage over its competitors and adversaries – its global network of alliances and strategic partnerships. However, alliance management faces both traditional and emerging challenges. These range from ensuring effective burden sharing, to providing alliance assurance and balancing interests and values along with allies' contributions across theaters and domains. In addition, because the United States is operating in a world where all instruments of power, military and non-military, are increasingly utilized in an interconnected way, it will also need to look at defense and security alliance management through the lens of issues ranging from industrial policy to economic security. This essay sheds light on these "old" and "new" challenges, providing insights into critical issues of alliance management that the United States will face in the emerging security environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) experience significant disparities in their prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempts, and deaths when compared to all other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. In this systematic review (SR), we aim to examine the methodologies employed in AIAN suicide research during the past decade to highlight successful methodological practices and provide suggestions for improving future research. Method: The authors followed guidance by Siddaway et al. (2019) for conducting SRs. The databases PsycINFO, Ovid Medline, The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Education Resources Information Center, Bibliography of Native North Americans, Sociological Abstracts, and Academic Search Premier were searched for scientific articles published between 2010 and June 5, 2020 that specifically focused on AIAN suicide. The search yielded 937 citations; 240 full-text articles were screened for inclusion, and 72 articles were included in this review. Results: Findings revealed significant heterogeneity among methodologies employed in the corpus, making it difficult to draw robust conclusions about AIAN suicide. Notably, research partnerships that were initiated by an AIAN Tribal Nation in collaboration with a research team yielded meaningful contributions and positive outcomes as compared to traditional community-based participatory research approaches. Finally, several critical gaps in the literature emerged including a lack of data on sexual and gender minority AIANs, urban, and multiracial AIANs. Conclusions: Based on these findings, we propose the following recommendations: (a) standardize the assessment of suicide; (b) increase partnerships between Tribal Nations and researchers; and (c) pursue research centering specific high-risk populations (e.g., urban, sexual and gender minority, and multiracial AIANs). Public Significance Statement: This systematic review demonstrates that the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) suicide literature includes great variance in selected methodologies, indicating a need to standardize our approaches in future research so that knowledge can accrue. It is crucial to increase the number of collaborative partnerships between Tribal Nations and research teams to better understand the suicide crisis in "Indian Country." Significant gaps still exist in the literature such as a lack of data on particularly vulnerable AIAN populations (e.g., urban AIANs, sexual and gender minority), as well as AIAN suicide clusters, and researchers should focus on exploring these gaps in future efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two new measures of children's engagement were developed and tested for use in preschool classrooms– a teacher rating scale and an independent observation instrument. • Findings revealed initial construct validity evidence for the two measures, which were found to be reliable and to relate modestly with one another as well as to an external criterion measure of children's science knowledge. • Findings also revealed significant relations between preschool children's engagement and child and family demographic characteristics, perhaps attributable to the unique context of Head Start. For example, teachers rated children whose home language was not English as higher in engagement compared with children whose home language was English. Children's behavioral engagement in preschool is a strong predictor of their academic achievement both concurrently and into the later school years across socioeconomic and ethnic groups (Chien et al., 2010; Fuhs et al., 2013; Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Kim & Suarez-Orozco, 2015; Ladd & Dinella, 2009). The present measurement development study was conducted within the context of a larger intervention research program in partnership with an urban Head Start program in the northeastern United States. Forty-one teachers and 456 children participated. Two new measures were developed and tested for use in preschool classrooms– a teacher rating scale and an independent observation instrument. Although many of the assessments that result from commonly employed systematic observation methods provide a detailed and nuanced description of children's engagement in the classroom, they often require intensive training and are costly to implement. The present study sought to provide the early childhood education field with two brief and more cost-effective measures. Findings revealed initial construct validity evidence for the two measures, which were found to be reliable and to relate modestly with one another as well as to an external criterion measure of children's science knowledge, which was the focus of the larger intervention. Findings also revealed significant relations between children's engagement and child and family demographic characteristics, perhaps attributable to the unique context of Head Start. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Because transgender individuals experience disproportionately high rates of HIV infection, this population is an increasing focus of epidemiological and implementation science research to combat the epidemic. However, study participants, providers and other advocates have become increasingly concerned about research practices that may alienate, objectify, exploit or even re‐traumatize the communities they are designed to benefit. This commentary explores the common pitfalls of HIV research with transgender communities and provides a potential framework for ethical, community‐engaged research practice. Discussion: We review some of the critical challenges to HIV research with transgender and non‐binary communities that limit the potential for such studies to improve practice. For example, scales that measure stigma perceptions/experiences often include activating language, while the consistent focus in research on risk and trauma can often feel judgemental and redundant. Because of limited employment opportunities, some participants may feel undue influence by research stipends; others may perceive their participation as fuelling the larger research economy without providing research jobs to community members. Questions remain regarding optimal strategies for authentic research partnership beyond community advisory boards or focus groups. Transgender and non‐binary researchers are under‐represented and may be tokenized. Many demonstration projects provide much‐needed services that disappear when the research funding is over, and community‐based dissemination efforts are often perceived as "too little, too late" to effect change. Conclusions: Based on this review and input from study participants across the United States, we detail six recommendations for ethical HIV research with transgender and non‐binary communities, including (1) equitable budgeting with community‐based programme partners; (2) representation in the development of both research agenda and methods; (3) integration of research activities into the ongoing work of any clinical or service site, so that individuals' needs as "clients" can continue to be prioritized over their role as "participants;" (4) mindfully considered compensation that values the contributions of community members, but avoids undue influence; (5) transparent, community‐focused and timely communication at every stage of the study, including research purpose, data usage, preliminary findings and full‐scale results; and (6) planning for sustainability of any programme or services beyond the life of the research project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 11 May 1810, the American merchant brig Dorothea departed Philadelphia for Veracruz on a mission that had little to do with trade. Instead, its sponsors, Francisco Caballero Sarmiento, a Philadelphia-based merchant, and Luis de On's, the Spanish ambassador to the United States, intended the voyage to resolve a financial emergency that threatened both men on a professional, patriotic, and personal level. Suffering from a chronic lack of funding that undermined his diplomatic operations at a time of profound political upheaval for Spain, On's had accepted a significant loan from Sarmiento in order to carry out his official duties. Unable to repay the merchant, the ambassador used the Dorothea to send Felipe Fatio, the legation secretary, to Mexico City to confirm viceregal support for the ad hoc partnership and secure a stable source of funding for the embassy. This paper relates the origins and outcome of the voyage of the Dorothea. While the story has many layers, this account focuses on the relationship between imperial officials at a time when the loyalist struggle against the French had reached its nadir and the independence movements in Spanish America had just begun. As a result, it raises important questions about the effectiveness of colonial institutions at a critical time in the history of the empire. While Spanish patriots most feared Napoleon, this mission suggests that the colonial bureaucracy was often its own worst enemy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's economy, higher education institutions are struggling to maintain quality while functioning with fewer resources. For libraries, the economic situation is compounded by the impact of an information marketplace that is characterized by prices for resources that increase at 7 to 10% per year, and by near and actual monopolies controlling content. Added to the complexities of the marketplace are the demands of a faculty and student body that prefer individual actions to group efforts. These economic and social issues can become real barriers to innovation, quality improvement, and successful services for today's libraries. One way to combat the economic and social environment is by creating new and improved partnerships to leverage resources and share expertise in order to provide better services and access to wider collections. But forming partnerships is not easy. This paper will review the characteristics of successful partnership as developed by the Gallup Corporation and will show how these values can be used in the academic library environment to create opportunities for success. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Focuses on the life and works of American immigrant businessman James J. Hill. Birth in 1838 into a pioneering farming family with moderate land holdings in rural Ontario; Preference not to conform to the cultural and social profile of the established business elite; Exploration of the possibilities inherent in bringing furs out of Canada along the Red River Valley of the North; Partnership with Celtic Canadian Norman Kittson in expanding their transportation business between Winnipeg and Saint Paul; Promotion of agricultural ideas on the Northern Great Plains.

Focuses on the importance of cultivating partnership among academic librarians and campus agencies working with students in the U.S. Use of information in response to vast array of academic, professional and personal needs; Disparity throughout the American K-12 educational system; Increase of capacity of student to use information.

The article reports that at the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP) annual meeting, the North American Chapter of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (NASoP), initially included official members of ISoP from Canada and the United States (US) has extended to include members from the Caribbean. Topics include examines that current activities have benefited from the partnerships established with the ISoP Chapters of Italy and Israel.

Although Congress often uses grants and other fiscal incentives when delegating policy to the states, it also incorporates nonfiscal arrangements, or joint partnerships, into legislation. These partnerships include joint state-federal oversight boards, intergovernmental task forces, as well as other nondistributive programs and services. We examine the conditions under which Congress chooses to increase joint partnerships in a formal model of intergovernmental delegation and test the implications of the model on federal laws from 1973 to 2010. We argue with evidence that Congress may rely on collaborative nonfiscal partnerships with states and localities when technical uncertainty increases but is less likely to do so when political uncertainty rises. Our theory extends existing models of delegation to provide an important step toward a broader theory of legislatively designed collaborative governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of small entrepreneurial companies and their partnerships with large corporations to advance the circular economy (CE). The authors provide insights from a U.S.-based empirical study that involved 12 companies and examined the emerging drivers, current challenges and future opportunities for advancing waste repurposing and product reuse. Many large companies fail to incorporate CE principles into their business strategy due to lack of mandates, costs, logistical hurdles and inertia. This presents an opportunity for entrepreneurial companies with innovative business models to fill the gap and provide critical links for corporations in reverse supply chains while creating new business opportunities with social benefits. The study found that despite the lack of federal regulations in the U.S. a growing number of corporations are partnering with entrepreneurs to reduce waste and advance product reuse. Key drivers for such trends include sustainability commitments and zero waste goals by companies and municipalities, European Union and U.S. state mandates, reputation and the growing focus on local sourcing. Technology, knowledge, and strategic partnerships between entrepreneurs and corporations play a critical role in reducing financial costs, time, energy, environmental impacts and resources, thus helping establish viable business models. The authors propose a new framework for corporate-entrepreneur collaborations to advance a CE. The study contributes to the research on the relationship between entrepreneurial innovation and the development of CE principles within corporate supply chains, a field that is still in its infant stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines one of the Basque sheep partnerships in Arizona in the 1890s and early 1900s, namely the partnership of Basque immigrants Michael Ohaco, Jose Antonio Manterola, Fermin Echeverria and Mario Jarajuria. Rules of the partnership; Role of trust in the partnership; Personal backgrounds of the immigrants; Incorporation of the business; Involvement of wives; Stock sharing.

The article focuses on construction of a blockchain and its function in decentralized autonomous organization in the U.S. Topics discussed include smart contracts and their role in decentralized organizations; legal status of partnerships and joint ventures; and enactment of Securities Act of 1933 for regulating the same.

The article focuses on the law and ethics of lawyer mobility in the U.S. Topics discussed include impact of structure of the modern law firm on the same; declining effectivness among legal profession for training and mentoring of young lawyers and transition from school to professional practice; and enactment of Uniform Partnership Act for addressing the same.

The article discusses the opt-out and push-out elections that are available under the U.S. Treasury's proposed regulations which were issued in January 2017, and it mentions the American Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 which deals with the audit activities of partnerships and tax deficiencies and collections. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association are examined, along with underpayments and multi-member operating agreements.

The article discusses who has a right to a client's fees when a lawyer leaves a law firm with a client, and it mentions contingent fees, America's Revised Uniform Partnership Act (RUPA), and the Florida litigation matters Frates v. Nichols and Buckley Towers Condominium Inc. v. Katzman Garfinkle Rosenbaum LLP which deal with an unfinished business doctrine. A no-extra-compensation rule in America's Uniform Partnership Act is examined, along with legal ethics and a client's right to counsel.

What is the essential role of the law of enterprise organization? The dominant view among business law scholars today is that organizational law-- the law of partnerships, corporations, private trusts, and their variants--serves primarily to structure relations between business owners, on the one hand, and business creditors, on the other. Under this "asset partitioning" theory, organizational law's main purpose is to shield business assets from claims of creditors of the business's owners, thereby giving business creditors a structurally senior claim on business assets. By relieving business creditors of the need to inspect the creditworthiness of business owners, the theory goes, organizational law allows creditors to economize on information. This Article challenges the primacy of the asset-partitioning theory. It identifies another role of organizational law that may be every bit as essential as asset partitioning. That role is property relinquishment: organizational law provides a mechanism for business co-owners to relinquish their legally cognizable property interests in specific business assets. The Article demonstrates that this property-relinquishment feature was present even in the traditional Anglo- American common law of partnership, despite outward appearances to the contrary. Unlike the asset-partitioning theory, which centers on relations with third parties, the property-relinquishment theory centers on relations among business co-owners. It is primarily concerned with commitment problems rather than information problems. The Article draws connections between the property-relinquishment theory of organizational law and three other areas of scholarly inquiry: the "anticommons" literature in property, the conceptual foundations of bankruptcy law, and the economic theory of the firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusess the issues raised by the new tax audit rules, and its impact on partnership business in the U.S. Topics discussed include impact of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and Consolidated Appropriations Act on the same; repealation of Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act; and impact of the same on partnership agreements.

United States healthcare policy has promoted the development of healthcare systems and community partnerships designed to decrease costs and readmissions, particularly for under-served populations. Typically, these partnerships are “hospital-centric”, focused on following in-house clinical costs into the community. Two contrasting large-scale community system models show results from development practices, integrating faith community partnerships that affect healthcare utilisation. This “community to hospital” focus is key to several such initiatives in the US. This article describes local implementation efforts in North Carolina, known as “the North Carolina Way”, and tests assumptions on implementation practices for creating robust faith-community and healthcare partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, we have seen an increase in the use of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) in health-care and/ or legal settings to address health disparities affecting vulnerable populations. MLPs increase medical teams' capacity to address social and environmental threats to patients' health, such as unsafe housing conditions, through partnership with legal professionals. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we systematically reviewed observational studies published from January 1993-January 2016 to investigate the capacity of MLPs to address legal and health disparities. We identified 13 articles for qualitative analysis from an initial pool of 355 records. The resulting pool of 13 articles revealed more information regarding the capacity of MLPs to address legal outcomes than their capacity to address health outcomes; only 4 studies directly addressed the impact of MLP intervention on patient wellbeing and/or patient utilization of healthcare services. We call for further evaluation/longitudinal studies that specifically address MLPs' short and long term effects upon patient health disparities. Finally, given the demonstrated capacity of MLPs to address unmet legal needs, and their evident potential in regards to improving health outcomes, we present the MLP model as a framework to address HIVrelated legal and health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the essential role of the law of enterprise organization? The dominant view among business law scholars today is that organizational law--the law of partnerships, corporations, private trusts, and their variants--serves primarily to structure relations between business owners, on the one hand, and business creditors, on the other. Under this "asset partitioning" theory, organizational law's main purpose is to shield business assets from claims of creditors of the business's owners, thereby giving business creditors a structurally senior claim on business assets. By relieving business creditors of the need to inspect the creditworthiness of business owners, the theory goes, organizational law allows creditors to economize on information. This Article challenges the primacy of the asset-partitioning theory. It identifies another role of organizational law that may be every bit as essential as asset partitioning. That role is property relinquishment: organizational law provides a mechanism for business co-owners to relinquish their legally cognizable property interests in specific business assets. The Article demonstrates that this property-relinquishment feature was present even in the traditional Anglo- American common law of partnership, despite outward appearances to the contrary. Unlike the asset-partitioning theory, which centers on relations with third parties, the property-relinquishment theory centers on relations among business co-owners. It is primarily concerned with commitment problems rather than information problems. The Article draws connections between the property-relinquishment theory of organizational law and three other areas of scholarly inquiry: the "anticommons" literature in property, the conceptual foundations of bankruptcy law, and the economic theory of the firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are groups of practices that work together to conduct research. Little is known about the degree to which PBRNs may be achieving success. This is the first general survey of family medicine-based PBRN directors in the United States and Canada to examine research productivity outcomes of PBRNs and explore the association between Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program affiliation and PBRN outcomes.Methods: The Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance conducted the survey and e-mailed it to 102 PBRN directors from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's registration.Results: A total of 54 (56%) PBRN directors responded to the survey. PBRNs with an affiliation with a CTSA program were more likely to report completion of quality improvement research and participation in multiple PBRN collaboration research projects. PBRNs affiliated with CTSA programs were less likely to report maintaining funding as a significant barrier.Conclusions: CTSA involvement with PBRNs results in family physician scientists' completing research and disseminating this research through publication. Also, PBRNs with CTSA partnerships have more funding availability. PBRN partnership with a CTSA is beneficial in furthering research in family medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the impact of retail marijuana laws of Colorado on its partnership laws. Topics discussed include laws regulating marijuana at the federal and state levels and its impact on partnership laws; inconsistencies between the state marijuana laws and the state partnership laws; and analysis of Colorado's partnership laws focusing on the laws of partnership formation and dissolution.

This chapter describes the results of case study research on a partnership between a community college in the United States and a university in Chile that attempted to develop the first community college system in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To examine civil legal needs among people experiencing homelessness and the extent to which medical-legal partnerships exist in homeless service sites, which promote the integration of civil legal aid professionals into health care settings. Methods. We surveyed a national sample of 48 homeless service sites across 26 states in November 2015. The survey asked about needs, attitudes, and practices related to civil legal issues, including medical-legal partnerships. Results. More than 90% of the homeless service sites reported that their patients experienced at least 1 civil legal issue, particularly around housing, employment, health insurance, and disability benefits. However, only half of all sites reported screening patients for civil legal issues, and only 10% had a medical-legal partnership. The large majority of sites reported interest in receiving training on screening for civil legal issues and developing medical-legal partnerships. Conclusions. There is great need and potential to deploy civil legal services in health settings to serve unstably housed populations. Training homeless service providers how to screen for civil legal issues and how to develop medical-legal partnerships would better equip them to provide comprehensive care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China asserts itself economically and militarily, the United States is faced with maintaining a balance of power in East Asia and safeguarding its global dominance. In contrast to its competitive position with China, the US relationship with India-projected to be the third-largest economy by 2030-is set on a more collaborative course. American support for a rising India aligns with its broader security and strategic goals. India, for its part, remains intent on achieving a position of regional primacy, but welcomes the US presence in the South Asia/Indian Ocean region. The two nations, for example, have signed an agreement giving each other access to military facilities, and they conduct many bilateral military exercises. These developments are a far cry from the mid-twentieth century, when Jawaharlal Nehru called for the removal of all foreign militaries from Asia. What factors pushed the India-US relationship in this new direction? And what shared interests and goals does the partnership reinforce? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multinational partnership called Pathways to Cleaner Production in the Americas linked faculty from seven Latin American universities and two U.S. universities to facilitate the transition to sustainability in the Americas by strengthening higher education institutions' capacity for educating young professionals in cleaner production and sustainable development, and assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises in understanding and implementing cleaner production and sustainable development strategies in their respective organizations. The ultimate outcome was to develop a workforce armed with new knowledge, skills and attitudes toward sustainability through cleaner production. To achieve the twin goals of the project, an experiential learning approach was developed to provide students with opportunities for applying knowledge of cleaner production and developing workplace competencies by working directly with micro, small, and medium enterprises to identify opportunities for cleaner production, under the supervision of faculty and cleaner production consultants. This paper examines the competencies developed from experiential learning in practicum courses and internships using CareerOneStop, an Industry Competency Model, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Online surveys were developed and administered to university students to understand whether they had mastered various competencies and comparisons were made across the seven partner institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with several major items for consideration in 2019 as practitioners and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) work through the implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Such major items include business meals and entertainment, meals for convenience of employer, depreciation and expensing, and the new centralized partnership audit regime.

The article offers news briefs on printing and publishing technologies in the U.S. in 2016. Topics in the news include the new funding for copy company Xerox Corp., the financial report of computer software company Adobe Systems Inc.'s revenue, and the partnership between commercial printer MGI USA Inc.'s Digital Technology division and technology company Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd. for digital print solutions.

The article reports that the competency-based education (CBE) can help the U.S. to meet its graduation goals and address the shortages of skilled workers. The college teachers have reported that developing CBE programs gives opportunities to personalize the educational experience for students and also develop partnerships with local business.

The article discusses the twentieth anniversary of the passage of the New York Limited Liability Company Law (LLC Law) as of 2015, and it mentions the principles of flexibility and freedom of contract, as well as information about the New York Business Corporation Law and the New York Partnership Law. American state statutes and the taxation law-related aspects of New York's LLC Law are examined, along with a call to amend the LLC Law to clarify several ambiguities.

Food Policy Councils (FPC) help to identify and address the priorities of local, state, and regional food systems with the goal of improving food systems through policy. There is limited research describing FPCs’ strategies for accomplishing this goal. As part of a larger study examining FPC policy efforts, this paper investigates the role of partnerships in food systems policy change. We conducted interviews with representatives from 12 purposefully selected FPCs in the United States and 6 policy experts identified by the selected FPC representatives to document and describe their policy work. One theme that emerged from those interviews was the role of partners. Interviewees described a range of partners (e.g., stakeholders from government, business, and education) and credited FPC partnerships with advancing their policy goals by increasing the visibility and credibility of FPCs, focusing their policy agenda, connecting FPCs to key policy inputs (e.g., local food community knowledge and priorities), and obtaining stakeholder buy-in for policy initiatives. Partnerships were also described as barriers to policy progress when partners were less engaged or had either disproportionate or little influence in a given food sector. Despite these challenges, partnerships were found to be valuable for FPCs efforts to effectively engage in the food policy arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]