EASIER: An evaluation model for public-private partnerships contributing to the sustainable development goals

Abstract

Recently, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have attracted renewed attention as a valuable tool to close the gap between public services and social needs. In fact, the United Nations (UN) proposed collaboration across multiple stakeholders as one of the key goals for securing global sustainable development. Yet, PPPs remain a controversial proposition for many due to, among other factors, the complexity and limitation of current systems to assess their impact beyond the notion of value for money. This study offers a conceptual model (EASIER) that accounts for six dimensions that are relevant for social, environmental, and economic progress. We also propose a questionnaire to assess the impact of PPPs on UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and apply it to a PPP contract as an illustration. We advocate the use of EASIER as an initial evaluation model due to its simplicity and its holistic perspective.