Effective Partnering in Contract and Institutionalised PPP: A Comparative Case Study in the Water and Waste Disposal Sector

Rasteiro Firmino, Sandra Isabel

Abstract:

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) are governance arrangements broadly defined as forms of collaboration between public and private actors. The conditions under which collaboration excels are therefore critical to well succeed partnerships. Extolling the absence of an extensive collaboration in several arrangements, some authors question if some PPPs should be considered “partnerships” at all. This would be the case of contractual, contrarily to institutionalised forms of PPP. Taken this distinction, the paper aims at understanding how different arrangements interfere with effective partnering. So: What are the fundamental conditions to develop an effective collaboration? Do institutionalised partnerships fulfil better the requirements of good collaboration? Or can good collaboration and reciprocity exist in contractual PPP? I consider the water, sanitation and waste disposal sector at local level government (Municipalities), where different schemes of PPP have been adopted in Portugal. Qualitative research methods (documental analysis followed by in-depth interviews) are used to conduct a comparative case study of two PPP (a concession and a mixed company. My findings suggest that PPP arrangements are not a sufficient condition to enable a better collaboration and that trust and balance between partners are crucial to success.

Área(s) temática(s):

• 2. Gobierno, Instituciones y Comportamiento Políticos

Año:

2016

Tipo de publicación:

Paper/Extenso Congresos GIGAPP

Número:

2016-436

Serie:

VII Congreso Internacional en Gobierno, Administración y Politicas Públicas. GIGAPP 03-05 octubre 2016.

Dirección:

Madrid, España

Organización:

GIGAPP. Asociación Grupo de Investigacion en Gobierno, Administración y Políticas Públicas

Mes:

Octubre

Comentarios:

The subject of the paper emerged as a new research question following the development of my Ph.D thesis. This paper proposal is part of an ongoing research, presenting the results of a comparative case study. The aim was to understand the mechanisms of collaboration between partners, considering the differences of several PPP schemes. Used research methods were qualitative and the analyses of case studies were carried out in depth. Further investigation is due in order test hypotheses and to produce generalized theoretical knowledge.