Public-Private Partnership: Elements for a Project-Based Management Typology

The polysemic concept of public-private partnership [PPP] covers a great diversity of institutional arrangements. In this paper, we propose a typology based on the management of public projects that constitute partnerships with private firms. Our typology is founded on two key variables: [1] the proximity of the target and [2] the capacity to generate projects. We can then identify four distinct models of PPP: situational, elementary, symbiotic, and forward-looking. The management challenges, the risks, and the major issues particular to each type of PPP are described in order to enlighten management teams and contribute to the production of useful knowledge in the field.