This book draws together case analyses of public-private partnerships in four different countries: Australia, France, Romania and Spain. It represents research efforts conducted from December 2007 to November 2012, and it covers a wide range of experiences in planning and implementing public-private partnerships in countries that belong to two very different socio-economic regions: Europe and Australia. The study on Australia deals with key concepts and types of public-partnerships, as well as performance and evaluation issues. While the analysis on France focuses on water sanitation and public transport services, the research on Romania highlights water and infrastructure projects. Finally, the discussion of Spain emphasizes healthcare and network services. The study illustrates that public-private partnerships are very adaptable and can take an unexpected variety of forms in different industries, types of service, regions or legal frameworks. By suggesting new directions for future comparative research in this area, we hope that this collection of country case studies will stimulate useful and enlightened discussion of the field and encourage a greater focus on the importance of context in future discussions of public-private partnerships.
About the Author: Pierre Bauby is a Researcher in Political Science at Paris 8 University, and a specialist in public services and public action. He has published several studies on public services. Jeffrey Keddie teaches and researches in the Department of Management at Monash University. He has previously been a university administrator and statutory authority manager. Laura Mina teaches in the Faculty of Administration and Public Management, Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Her research areas are public-private partnerships and local economic development. Cristina Neesham is Lecturer in the Department of Management at Monash University. Her research interests are social issues in public policy and European social models. Alina Profiroiu is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Administration and Public Management, Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Her research focuses on public administration reform. Marius Profiroiu is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Administration and Public Management, Bucharest University of Economic Studies. His research interests are governance and decentralization. He was State Secretary in the Romanian Ministry of Public Administration (2002-2004). Jose M. Ruano de la Fuente is Professor at Complutense University of Madrid. He researches in public policy analysis, comparative public administration and State reform. Julian Teicher is Professor in the Department of Management at Monash University. His research focuses on public sector management and industrial relations. Bernadine Van Gramberg is Professor and Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Business and Enterprise at Swinburne University of Technology. Her research includes dispute resolution and public sector management. Cathy Zadra-Veil researches in Public Economics at Paris 8 University. She is Deputy Mayor of the City of Mouroux, Paris.