Public-private partnerships and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development : fit for purpose?

In light of a cautious emphasis given to public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a mechanism to finance infrastructure projects and highlighting the need for capacity building and knowledge sharing at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, this paper reviews the extant literature on the subject and identifies areas requiring better understanding and institutional innovation for ensuring value for money, minimizing contingent fiscal risk and improving accountability. An institutional capacity to create, manage and evaluate PPPs is essential to ensure that they become an effective instrument of delivery of important services, such as infrastructure. There is also a need for a common definition of PPPs and internationally accepted guidelines, including uniform accounting and reporting standards.
1. Introduction -- 2. PPPs: A brief history -- 3. What are PPPs? -- 4. PPPs in Infrastructure: Trends in developing countries -- 5. Key issues underpinning the performance of PPPs -- 6. The key components of an enabling institutional framework for PPPs -- 7. Towards common guidelines for effective PPPs -- 8. Conclusion -- Annex 1. Definitions of PPPs -- Annex 2. World Bank’s Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI) Database

28 p. : graphs

Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-25).