Public, private, people partnerships (PPPPs): Reflections from Latin American cases

Abstract

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been exalted as effective and adopted in many areas that used to be exclusive public domains, from urban service provision to construction works and program management. I argue that despite their undeniable potential, in many cases the participation of the public sector in PPPs is insufficient to bring about desired and expected public outcomes, given that public sector actors often focus overwhelmingly on serving and supporting the private interests to the detriment of public interests. The private sector’s participation in PPPs is insufficient to bring about public and lasting good, given their focus on profit making. People and communities have been the most vulnerable actors in PPPs scenarios, often excluded from partnerships. I examine developmental partnerships in Latin America to assess how public, private, and community (“people”) agents interact and affect each other, and whether the trade-offs among them have shaped equitable and productive partnerships. It would be appropriate to institutionalize the 4th “P” for “people” in these endeavors (PPPPs) and critically and explicitly examine the distribution of costs and benefits of urban partnerships among stakeholders if we aspire for more just and sustainable cities.