Public private partnership: first steps towards a juridical definition

Abstract

In the present chapter, the first steps towards a precise juridical definition are taken. After a brief background on the revolutionary weight of public private partnership, the authors address a certain vagueness in the discourse on the topic and the need to regain juridical precision. To this end, the analysis begins with a semantic approach, deepening the meaning of the words that compose the expression ‘public private partnership’ and their conceptual background. The analysis outlines two defining features of public private partnership, namely the concept of cooperation and the logic of the compromise. Subsequently, the reasons and advantages of public private partnership are assessed. In this regard, the necessity for public officials to escape from their isolation and the convenience for private businesses to revolve towards publicly relevant activities are detected as principal drivers of public private partnership.