Sustainable development, governance and performance measurement in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs): A methodological proposal

Abstract

Institutionalized Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are a widely debated phenomenon, addressed by both scientific literature and policymakers. The most important contribution of this work is to describe the various theories used for understanding the performance expectations of PPPs, as the focus on performance is still poor despite the growing interest in participant companies (mixed-owned companies), especially at the local level. While analyzing the evaluation of the performance of these entities, a wide stream of literature has focused on profitability and efficiency, showing a substantial difference in terms of the performance of such companies compared to private capital ones. All this leads us to consider the Public Value theory as the best framework in literature to address the many dimensions of performance and business strategy in PPPs while pursuing sustainable development. The interest in this area has increased lately, mainly due to the growing complexity within this dynamic context. Therefore, it seems meaningful to carry out a systematic review of the relevant published literature in this field. This study contributes to the literature on sustainable development in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) that are seen as a form of mixed-owned companies, trying to address their multilayered performance expectations within the public value perspective and to understand how the role of performance measurement is influencing business strategies and the attitude towards sustainable environment. This will prove useful to scholars, policymakers and practitioners alike.