Books

Publiek-Private Samenwerking (PPS) is niet meer weg te denken uit de ontwikkeling en het management van publieke infrastructuur. Twee belangrijke argumenten bij de keuze voor PPS zijn samenwerking en meerwaarde. Wanneer publieke en private partijen samenwerken, zou er meerwaarde kunnen worden bereikt. Waarde die anders niet bereikt had kunnen worden. In de internationale literatuur gaat het dan over de collaborative advantage van PPS. Een aannemelijke en aantrekkelijke gedachte. Maar klopt die wel?

In dit boek worden, door middel van een quasi-experimenteel onderzoeksdesign, de prestaties van en samenwerking in PPS-projecten – in de vorm van Design-Build-Finance-Maintain (DBFM) – vergeleken met een ‘controlegroep’ van niet-PPS-projecten – in de vorm van Design-and-Construct (D&C). Op basis van harde projectendata, vragenlijstonderzoek en in-depth casestudies worden conclusies getrokken over prestaties wat betreft tijd, kosten, kwaliteit, innovatie en tevredenheid en over de invloed van samenwerking op prestatieverschillen tussen DBFM- en D&C-projecten.

De Meerwaarde van Publiek-Private Samenwerking voorziet in een evaluatie van de Nederlandse PPS-praktijk en informeert beleidsmakers, managers en onderzoekers over de effectiviteit en de werking van DBFM.

This timely book questions the premise that Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have a performance advantage over traditionally procured projects, an assumption that motivates policymakers worldwide to enter into such contracts. Taking stock of novel research comparing the differences in performance between PPP and traditionally procured infrastructure projects and services, the chapters in this book thoughtfully scrutinise this supposed advantage.

Adopting a quasi-experimental design, the book advances the evidence base on the performance advantage of PPPs. Insightful contributions from renowned scholars undertake an in-depth investigation of three key performance dimensions: cost, time, and service quality. Broad in scope, studies span countries in Asia, Europe, and South America, as well as a diverse range of policy sectors, including transport, healthcare, road safety, education, and sporting facilities. This comprehensive assessment produces several conclusions, but ultimately determines that evidence for a cost performance advantage remains mixed, while PPPs are proven to clearly outperform traditional alternatives in terms of time and service quality.

Empirical in focus and spanning multiple policy sectors, this incisive book will be an invaluable resource not only for PPP scholars, but also for researchers and practitioners involved in public administration, public management and policy, and infrastructure planning and delivery worldwide.

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a new research method that is highly suitable for evaluation studies. Clear and concise, this book explains how researchers and evaluators can use QCA effectively for the systematic and thorough analysis of large infrastructure projects, while also acknowledging their complexity.

Lasse Gerrits and Stefan Verweij present the key steps of this methodology to identify patterns across real cases. From collecting and interpreting data to sharing their knowledge and presenting the results, the authors use examples of many projects to emphasize how QCA can be used successfully for both single infrastructure ventures as well as more extensive projects. In addition to discussing the best practices and pitfalls of the methodology, further examples from current research are given in order to illustrate how QCA works effectively in both theory and practice.

Written with researchers and evaluators in mind, this book will be of great benefit for students and scholars of evaluation studies, public administration, transport studies, policy analysis, and project management. The book is also highly applicable for those working in public or private organizations involved in infrastructure projects looking for an effective, detailed, and systematic method of evaluation.

Reviews of the book have been published in Public Works Management & Policy and in the Australian Journal of Public Administration.

Much attention is being paid to the planning of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects. The subsequent implementation phase—when the contract has been signed and the project ‘starts rolling’—has received less attention. However, sound agreements and good intentions in project planning can easily fail in project implementation. Implementing PPP infrastructure projects is complex, but what does this complexity entail? How are projects managed, and how do public and private partners cooperate in implementation? What are effective management strategies to achieve satisfactory outcomes? This is the first set of questions addressed in this thesis. Importantly, the complexity of PPP infrastructure development imposes requirements on the evaluation methods that can be applied for studying these questions. Evaluation methods that ignore complexity do not create a realistic understanding of PPP implementation processes, with the consequence that evaluations tell us little about what works and what does not, in which contexts, and why. This hampers learning from evaluations. What are the requirements for a complexity-informed evaluation method? And how does Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) meet these requirements? This is the second set of questions addressed in this thesis.