This publication covers PPPs with a focus on the implications for public finances in developing economies. Chapter 1 seeks to answer the question of whether PPPs are the “genie in the bottle” for governments seeking to plug the infrastructure gap: do they solve more problems than they create? This discussion lays the groundwork for further analysis. Chapter 2 explores the underlying reasons for the expansion of PPPs, the definitions and scope of PPPs in different contexts, and the historical trajectory of PPPs throughout the world, highlighting the common factors that have led to their current popularity. Chapter 3 details the multitude of institutional frameworks built to accommodate PPPs. It highlights the frameworks for national and subnational entities commissioning PPPs and deals with the involvement of state-owned enterprises. It also introduces fiscal frameworks for PPPs. Chapter 4 considers the fiscal and budgetary implications of PPPs from various perspectives. Chapter 5 covers the multiple forms of government financial support extended to PPPs and the practical implications of various countries’ experiences with direct, indirect, explicit, and implicit forms of project support. Finally, Chapter 6 discusses unsolicited PPP proposals coming directly from private-sector firms that hope to service them. The publication concludes with a brief summation of the outlook for PPPs as well as concise policy recommendations.
Investment in infrastructure is, admittedly, one of the main forms of economic development. Traditionally, the Public Administration implements infrastructure projects committing taxpayers’ money to finance them. For the past decades, demand for infrastructure has been growing steadily, but public funds for current and future needs are limited and the public finances of many governments have increasingly reached a point where long-term borrowing is not a ready option. In a recent study, GI Hub estimated the cumulative ‘global infrastructure need’ from 2015 to 2040, and the ‘investment gap’ for the period. US$ 94 trillion would be needed in investment and the gap is US$ 15 trillion . This has led the government to accept the growing importance of the private sector participation in the financing and management of infrastructure projects, so it began seeking alternative methods of procurement. One method whose applicability is increasing is the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to finance and/or manage infrastructure projects. In this regard, well-prepared infrastructure projects can generate high social rate of returns and improves well-being, whereas inadequate infrastructure represents a barrier to growth and improved quality of life and can lead to unsustainable financial burdens for the government, especially in developing countries. Although not all infrastructure is suitable to follow the PPP route, those policy-makers that choose to shift from public infrastructure financing to private partner have to consider the nature and motivations of long-term investors and the generation of value for money as well, that is, to align the interests of both the public and private sectors. With the participation of a private partner in well-prepared investment projects, there may be larger investments and the population’s life quality improvement. Also, PPPs are a way to introduce private sector technology and innovation into providing better public services through innovative planning and design’ and ‘efficient project management. Building and maintaining infrastructure are essential for economic expansion and social development, if delivered efficiently and effectively, it can translate into economic growth. However, the world is not spending enough on infrastructure to catch up with technological changes, urbanization and shifting demographics. The Inter-American Bank (IDB) and the Global Infrastructure Hub (GIH) decided to analyze and carry out a research on the legal framework for PPPs in Latin America and the Caribbean Region to establish guidelines on PPP law leading practices.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Ukraine had made significant progress in implementing ambitious regional development and decentralisation reforms. These reforms resulted in the creation of 1 469 amalgamated municipalities, the establishment of an elaborate multi-level regional development planning framework, as well as a significant increase in local public service delivery, and public funding for regional and local development.
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is a channel through which the public sector can seek alternative funding and expertise from the private sector to procure public infrastructure. Governments around the world are increasingly turning to Public-Private Partnerships to deliver essential goods and services. Unfortunately, PPPs, like any other public procurement, can be at risk of corruption. This book begins by looking at the basics of PPP and the challenges of the PPP process. It then conceptualizes the vulnerability of various stages of Public-Private Partnership models and corruption risk against the backdrop of contract theory, principal-agent theory and transaction cost economics. The book also discusses potential control mechanisms. The book also stresses the importance of good governance for PPP. It outlines principles and procedures of project risk management (PRM) developed by a working party of the Association of Project Managers. Finally, the book concludes by proposing strategies and solutions to overcome the limitations and challenges of the current approach toward PPP.
Subnational governments’ capacity to effectively fund and deliver public services are crucial for the realisation of the benefits of decentralisation. However, subnational capacities often suffer from significant weaknesses, ranging from inadequate assignments of own-revenues, through to flaws in tax administration, the design of intergovernmental transfers, spending assignments and various aspects of public financial management.
The public debate is rife with polarized views of how to deliver essential services such as education, health, and security. While some tout privatization as a way to supplant bad governments, others warn that private firms maximize profits at the expense of socially oriented service attributes. In reality, all forms of service delivery—public, private and hybrid public private-collaborations—have merits and flaws. This book scrutinizes the menu of delivery forms in public services and the conditions that should make them work. It argues that privatization benefits from capable government units committing to well-defined policy objectives, mobilizing critical resources, and incentivizing effective and inclusive delivery. Societies counting on capable governments can also reject single solutions and experiment with plural paths of improvement, where public and private organizations co-exist and learn from each other. This book will appeal to students, academics, managers and policy makers interested in examining the public-private boundary and the many ramifications of this focal issue.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are increasingly an important vehicle for several Western Balkan countries to increase investment to reduce their infrastructure gaps. While there are benefits to well-designed and implemented PPPs, they also carry a potential for large fiscal risks and increased costs if not managed well. Countries with successful PPP programs typically benefit from a clear and well-designed PPP governance framework, which covers all stages of the PPP life cycle. Western Balkan countries need to address gaps in their PPP governance frameworks to fully reap the potential benefits from PPPs.
The book provides readers with a clear understanding of infrastructure challenges, how Public‐Private Partnerships (PPP) can help, and their use in practice. Infrastructure bottlenecks are generally considered the most important constraint to growth in many countries worldwide. Historically, infrastructure projects have been financed and implemented by the state. However, owing to the fiscal resource crunch, time and cost over‐runs, and the general poor quality of publicly provided infrastructure, many emerging market governments, including India, have increasingly adopted PPPs with billions of dollars of investment riding on them. The results have been varied – from spectacular airports like the Delhi International Airport Limited with the associated controversy over land use, to the renegotiation of contracts as in the case of Tata Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project. Illustrating concepts with relevant case studies, the book makes the challenges of PPPs understandable to industry and management practitioners as well as students of management, public policy and economics. It is useful to practitioners wishing to avoid the pitfalls in the tricky terrain of PPPs and policymakers wanting guidance in crafting proper incentives. It also helps students gain a holistic and “applied” understanding of this increasingly important and popular model. “Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in India are currently under stress. A comprehensive treatment of the subject by a long-time and erudite practitioner and a management academic, this book should be useful to students trying to learn the basics, while also being valuable to professionals and policy makers. The book suggests that the Government should hold bidders accountable to their submitted bids, thereby preserving sanctity of contract. This will discourage aggressive bidding which has become a serious and endemic problem. The book also suggests the use of better bidding criteria to mitigate traffic risk in transport projects. Policy makers should pay heed to these suggestions as they consider improvements in the PPP policy regime going forward.”—Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser, India/div “For a fast-growing India, infrastructure creation and operation is a great challenge and opportunity. This excellent book combines theory and practice on PPPs, and is very useful for professionals and students alike. With case studies and current developments, the authors bring out issues in India with global experiences as well. A must-read for infrastructure practitioners.”—Shailesh Pathak, Chief Executive (Designate), L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Limited “India’s program of private participation in infrastructure attracted worldwide attention as it became one of the largest programs in emerging markets. As well as the volumes of finance mobilized, it garnered interest because of some of the innovative approaches developed, such as Viability Gap Funding. The Indian PPP story is well captured in this book, which also makes the point that India is seeing project cancellations and failures rise. The authors analyze the factors behind this and point the way to a more robust PPP market that learns from the experiences of the past.”—Clive Harris, Practice Manager, Public-Private Partnerships, World Bank/div
This paper brings structure to the discussion of private-sector engagement in nutrition by clarifying different models of engagement, reviews the evidence base on public-private partnerships (PPPs) for the reduction of undernutrition, and outlines some potential ways forward. We find that there are few independent, rigorous assessments of the impact of commercial-sector engagement in nutrition. Considerable caution is thus warranted when assessing PPPs in nutrition. Looking forward, future progress requires that the private sector recognize that past and current actions by some firms have created an environment of mistrust. It requires that the public sector accept that sustainable PPPs are those which permit private firms to generate profits. There is significant scope for the private sector to drive innovations that could reduce undernutrition, and, more speculatively, there may be scope for the private sector to act as a financier. Underpinning all these efforts must lie open discussions of the objectives, roles, and expectations of all parties along with potential conflicts of interest; an open space or platform where issues and challenges can be discussed and addressed; incentives for the private sector to take on pro-nutrition roles; strong, transparent, and well-enforced monitoring processes; and serious, independent evaluations of these activities.
Politicians and businesses alike agree that something must be done about the environment, the question is what, how, when, and by whom? We ask, are we actually walking the talk?
