Partnering with the private sector to achieve developmental goals is attracting growing interest of DCED member agencies. However, there is no clear-cut definition of the term public-private partnership (PPP), which covers a multitude of different formats. Accordingly, the literature on PPPs is very broad. A unifying principle of most PPPs is the aim to leverage the development impact of companies’ core business activities.
This page provides a provisional list of studies and reports related to
public-private or cross-sector partnerships as well as on the role of
the private sector in development.
Overview documents and current practice
- World Bank Institute and PPIAF (2012): Public-Private Partnerships: A Reference Guide. This Reference Guide focuses on three main areas that PPP practitioners should know about. Firstly what are PPPs, when might they be used and the advantages and disadvantages relative to public provision; secondly the policy, legal and institutional frameworks that should be put into place to help improve their effectiveness; and finally the ways in which PPP projects can be developed and implemented. A diverse range of case studies and institutional solutions.
- UN Global Compact, Bertelsmann Stiftung and UNDP (2011): Partners in development. How donors can better engage the private sector for development in LDCs. The aim of this research is to explore how donors can effectively support publicprivate collaboration efforts in order to attract sustainable investments and foster development in LDCs. To this end, the paper takes stock of existing donor programs aimed at engaging the private sector in development activities, identifies shortcomings and promising approaches, and offers recommendations on how donor programs can attract more public-private collaborations into LDC environments.
- GIZ internet portal on cooperation with the private sector in Africa: German International Cooperation (GIZ) has set up a website to promote lesson-learning and consolidate
knowledge on private sector development approaches in Africa.
It includes overviews of specific PPP projects and results in 26 countries.
- Sida, Innovations Against Poverty Programme (2011): Small Grants Applications Analysis: This document summarises information about grant applications at one of Sida's public-private partnership programmes, Innovations against Poverty, including the origin, size and sectors the applying companies.
- C&E: Corporate-NGO Partnerships Barometer 2010:
Based on an on-line survey of practitioners, the report identifies
current practice and key trends, drivers, as well as challenges in
cross-sector partnerships. The key challenge mentioned by corporates was
the "lack of clear processes for reviewing and measuring performance".
- GPPI: Engaging Business in Development (2007): The Government of Germany commissioned an overview study of the activities of different donors in PPP-related areas.
- Resources on PPPs in Conflict-Affected Environments (CAEs), in our PSD in CAEs Online Library
Financial Instruments
- Practitioner Network and Resources of DFID's Business Innovation Facility: The Business Innovation Facility helps the development and uptake
of inclusive business models by companies in developing countries.
- Review of the Business Innovation Facility Project Portfolio (2011): This document summarises findings from a review of the Business Innovation Facility's portfolio of 18 inclusive business projects that received advisory support during its first year of operation. In addition, emerging patterns and trends are synthesised in a 2-page Snapshot. The findings of the review are also discussed in a blog post by Caroline Ashley, Learning and Results Manager of the Business Innovation Facility, entitled "What impacts can we expect from inclusive businesses supported by BIF?".
- Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative: Case studies of Inclusive Business Models: The Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative has compiled more than 160 case studies of Inclusive Business Models on its website. These can be searched by different categories such as business sector, themes and type of companies.
- Kubzanky, Michael, Bernard Chidzero and Ansulie Cooper (2011): Promise and Progress. Market-Based Solutions to Poverty in Africa: Based on a sample of 439 market-based initiatives in Africa, this study by the Monitor Group identifies the business models that have achieved large-scale development impacts. In addition to successful models related to micro-finance, such as mobile money transfer, and others identified in a
n earlier study (see p.9 and Monitor Group 2009) the study finds three promising models in Africa: (1) small-holder farmer aggregators that collect crops from smallholders to supply large buyers, while at the same time providing farmers with financial, input supply and other services; (2) companies that train and engage with informal retailers to sell socially beneficial products to consumers; and (3) vocational colleges that offer highly standardised industry qualifications to low-income job seekers, leveraging para-skilled teachers. The study also provides overarching lessons, such as on how businesses serving the poor can reach scale and achieve viability. It concludes with specific recommendations for entrepreneurs, large corporations, impact investors, governments, and donors - who should embrace “the notion of supporting private enterprises that may, and should, earn profits from trading with the poor”. Ways to do this include an increased focus on sharing risks with businesses, supporting scaling up, and providing financial and technical assistance to poor consumers and suppliers of these businesses.
- UNDP (2011): Business solutions to poverty. How inclusive business models create opportunities for all in Emerging Europe and Central Asia: The report explores the development and business opportunities provided by inclusive business models, and elaborates on the specific constraints linked to developing inclusive business models in the ECA region and how they have been overcome. It includes 19 case studies of inclusive business models in 9 different sectors as well as recommendations on how to promote inclusive business.
- Anglo-American (2010): Delivering Real Benefits. Sustainable Development Report 2010. This report outlines how Anglo-American works to embed principles of sustainability in their operations, for example through local supply chain development.
- Accelerating Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals Through Inclusive Business. Delivering Results: Moving towards scale, Report on an Inclusive Business Dialogue, UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals 2010:This report, which results from the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals in 2010, summarises current practice and cutting edge issues in Inclusive Business.
- WBSCD (2010): Inclusive Business. Mapping of Tools and Resources: This 5-page document of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development presents a mapping of key publicly-available tools and resources that support the initiation, development and scaling of inclusive business models.
- Business Action for Africa: Business Partnerships for Development in Africa: Redrawing the Boundaries of Possibilities (2010):
This annual report of Business Action for Africa examines how
business-driven partnerships are addressing Africa's development
challenges in new and innovative ways.
- IFC (2010; 2.2MB): Inclusive Business Solutions: Expanding Opportunity and Access at the Base of the Pyramid:
This report addresses common challenges in developing business models
which serve the poor as producers and consumers, drawing on examples
from twelve award-winning companies.
Results Measurement and Evaluations of PPP programmes
- USAID (2010): (Re)valuing Public-Private Alliances: An outcome-based solution:
Partners and donors both struggle to measure not only how well a
partnership is executed, but also how the alliance contributes to each
partner’s desired impact. This report proposes an outcome-based approach
to forming, operating and valuing PPPs.
- I
FC (2010): IFC SmartLessons. Improving Rural Water Services in Rwanda with Public-Private Partnerships: This IFC SmartLesson shares the experiences of the World Bank and the Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) in their support to the Rwandan government's adoption of a public-private partnership model in rural water services. While only half of Rwanda's piped rural water supply systems were functional in 2004 due to poor management, this number of functional water supply systems has increased by 35% in five years. 28% of these water systems were managed under a PPP, providing 1 million people with access to piped water.The report identifies good practices that have contributed to this success.
- WSP (2010): A Review of Progress in Seven African Countries. Public-Private Partnerships for Small Piped Water Schemes:This field note reviews the experience with Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for small piped water schemes in seven countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda and Senegal. It identifies key lessons and success factors from the first generation of PPPs in the rural and small town water sector in Africa. The study finds that private participation in water supply improves water services and ensures efficiency gains. It also reveals major challenges in relation to the implementation of private-public partnerships on a larger scale. These have to do with: ownership of the PPP process by local stakeholders; risks to the sustainability of service; establishment of an effective regulatory system; and sustainable financing of infrastructure investments.
- USAID: Evaluation of the Global Development Alliance (2008): USAID published a full evaluation of its PPP programme, the Global Development Alliance.
- Abt Associates: A Critical Review of Partnership Capacity and Effectiveness: Moving from Theory to Evidence (2011): The
paper provides a critical examination of the existing literature on
evaluating partnership capacity and effectiveness, and notes a lack of
methodologically rigorous evaluations.
Business-to-Business Partnerships
- Initiative for Global Development and Dalberg (2011): Business-to Business Partnerships. Recommendations for Expansion across Africa: Partnerships between local and foreign firms in Sub-Saharan Africa have great potential to spur economic growth. Core business activities of foreign companies contribute to local economic development, including by introducing new goods or services and developing the local workforce through employee training.This white paper provides recommendations for CEOs and and senior executives of foreign companies to leverage B2B partnerships for expansion. The recommendations cover entering, structuring, implementing and ending partnerships.
Summaries of case studies on the
development impact of public-private partnerships and
business contributions to development can be found on the Evidence of Impact page. The links to these case studies reporting success at scale are listed below.
IFC's quarterly journal on PPPs, Handshake, addresses practical challenges in PPPs and explores a wide range of sectors and themes
Photograph courtesy of Rajat Kumar Das.