Business Value in Public-Private Partnerships: The Positive Impact of Trust and Task-Relevant Competencies on Business Outcomes in PPPs

Governments and businesses enter public-private partnerships (PPPs) to achieve better outcomes, but successful partnerships are not easily accomplished. Because businesses’ expectations about PPP outcomes affect how and whether they participate as partners, managing PPPs effectively requires knowing not just what governments loose or gain, but also the value businesses receive. The article demonstrates how structural, collaborative and participant factors associated with both public and private partners affect business value in PPPs. Based on a mixed methods approach, this study tests four hypotheses on how PPPs influence value creation for businesses. The findings show that PPP experience, trust and PPP size have significant effects on business value. However, they only increase certain types of value, depending on the presence and performance of other factors. Moreover, the results show that businesses gain more intangible values such as network development and knowledge than revenue.