Public-Private Partnerships

Public-private partnerships are commonly cited by governments, business, the press and academics as constructive, and even “cure-all,” mechanisms for development in many spheres. Public-private partnerships have risen to the forefront of development processes as the global shift toward governance has gathered momentum. As stakeholders in development have come to recognize that they are interdependent and as the search for new solutions to contemporary problems has expanded beyond the use of traditional mechanisms of government, public-private partnerships have become increasingly popular in both the developed and developing world.

Although varying definitions abound, public-private partnerships are collaborations across the public and private sectors that are seen by the respective parties as facilitating greater gains than could be achieved by working separately or in conflict. They are further considered ...