OECD Principles for good public governance of Public-Private Partnerships

: the role of dedicated PPP units

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to understand whether or not the dedicated Public-Private Partnership (PPP) units set up in accordance with the recommendations put forth by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) constitute good public governance mechanisms. Our research questions are the following: (i) How and why have governments from OECD Member Countries used PPPs? (ii) How and why have governments from OECD Member Countries established dedicated PPP units? (iii) How do the dedicated PPP units from OECD Member Countries comply (or not) with the recommendations put forth by the OECD? (iv) How and why does the VFM of PPP programs differ in countries that have (or not) dedicated PPP units set up in accordance with the recommendations put forth by the OECD? Using a multiple case study research approach, this thesis answers these research questions focusing on the experience of three OECD Member Countries with dedicated PPP units: the United Kingdom, France and Portugal. It concludes that dedicated PPP units set up in accordance with OECD recommendations have the potential to constitute good public governance mechanisms, however, it also concludes that, as governance mechanisms, such units are insufficient to steward public interests. Indeed, dedicated PPP units are increasingly growing in popularity, but they are not a solution for all problems. Ultimately, the goal of this thesis is to help readers learn more about how dedicated PPP units help (or not) policy makers make PPPs work.

Date of Award	20 Oct 2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Joaquim Miranda Sarmento (Supervisor) & Ricardo Reis (Co-Supervisor)