Public Accountability in Public-Private Partnerships

In an ever-increasing trend worldwide of long-term associations between public and private sectors, the crafting of more sophisticated and far-reaching contracts with huge financial commitments in the name of citizens raises... [ view full abstract ]

In an ever-increasing trend worldwide of long-term associations between public and private sectors, the crafting of more sophisticated and far-reaching contracts with huge financial commitments in the name of citizens raises questions about legitimacy and accountability of public-private partnerships (PPPs). This systematic literature review examines the contribution of the extant literature in terms of public accountability in PPPs procurement models through four levels of analysis: behaviour, information, evaluation, and sanction. The integration and analysis of dispersed research perspectives from articles published in international social science journals from 1983 to 2017 provided an opportunity for reflection, not only to draw targeted lessons on the topic, but also to consider legacies and potential directions of future research. We found that traditional units on which the extant literature of PPPs builds accountability, are not sufficient to capture the full democratic implications of such partnerships. Contributions have more to say regarding the positive outcomes of accountability in PPPs, but less about the accountability process itself that may lead to those outcomes.