Mutuality in the public, private and third sectors

Abstract

This chapter examines the concept of mutuality and the ways in which it may be applied to the social determinants of health in local government. Mutuality is defined broadly as the sharing of a feeling, action, or relationship between two or more parties, upon which cooperation is based. In turn, cooperation may be defined as 'acting together, in a co-ordinated way, in social relationships, in the pursuit of shared goals, the enjoyment of the joint activity, or simply furthering the relationship'. With regard to governance, different expressions of mutuality and cooperation arise, but are often conflated, in the literature. The chapter looks at mutuality from these different perspectives for the social determinants of health in local government. It contends that mutuality is properly considered in conditions where its contribution may be productive, and that where mutuality meets this condition, it should be employed as productively as possible. The chapter starts from broad perspectives of governance, narrowing through the place and role of mutuality in modes of governance, to how it is expressed in specific governance arrangements.