29Dec 2015
CFP - HKU-USC-IPPA Conference on Public Policy, Hong Kong, July 2016
15:19 - By Hal Colebatch
Panel on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Public Services Policy Challenges in Asia @ HKU-USC-IPPA Conference on Public Policy
Recent developments in the applications of PPPs across Asian countries offer good opportunities to conduct rigorous research to answer these questions with regard to policy challenges of PPPs the provision of public services.
Many critical questions remain unanswered due to limited studies based on rigorous research. For example, what are the impacts of PPPs on the quality of public service delivery? What are the impacts of PPPs on the costs of public service delivery? What are the effects of PPPs on the access of the poor to essential public services? What are the main factors determining the successes and failures of PPP projects? Are there any changes in the performance of PPPs over time?
Chairs
Xun Wu, Associate Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
Michael Howlett, Simon Fraser University, Canada
A public-private partnership (PPP) is a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies. In the last few decades, PPPs have been implemented in many Asian countries in the delivery of public services that are traditionally provided by the state, such as education, health care, municipal services, water supply and sanitation, and waste management. It is argued that PPPs can improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of public service delivery while reducing financial burden of the state in the provision of public services.
The performance of PPPs in practice, however, has been mixed so far. While there are many successful PPPs in the public service delivery across different sectors and countries, many existing PPPs face hardship for one reason or another. Opponents of PPPs argue that the profit motive of the private sector is in conflict with key requirements of public service delivery, and thus the involvement of private sector may undermine the quality and effectiveness of public services. More important, they argue that PPPs may have negative impacts on the access of the poor to adequate public services due to affordability.