DO PARTNERS IN PPPs VIEW PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MANAGEMENT DIFFERENTLY? Re–examining Boyne's Hypotheses in the Context of Collaboration

Although many studies have compared differences between public and private management, they have neglected such differences in the context of actual collaboration between both sectors in public–private partnerships (PPPs).... [ view full abstract ]

Although many studies have compared differences between public and private management, they have neglected such differences in the context of actual collaboration between both sectors in public–private partnerships (PPPs). This paper compares perceptions of public and private sector project members (n=66) involved in four PPPs in the Netherlands to assess (1) to what extent and under which conditions these project members view public and private management differently and (2) how they evaluate these differences. By triangulating quantitative and qualitative interview data we examine Boyne’s classical hypotheses and find that more than two thirds of the statements making reference to these hypotheses offer support for them; more so, the vast majority of such statements evaluate sectoral differences negatively. Intriguingly, type of PPP and duration of involvement are stronger determinants of perceived differences than sector of origin.