Public–private partnership (PPP) has been proposed by the United Nations as a tool for Sustainable Development Goals. The perceptions and tendencies of literatures on this concept have, however, not yet been fully investigated. This research fills the perceived gap, by reviewing sustainability‐oriented PPP studies, to better understand the relationship between PPP and sustainable development. A bottom‐up approach is adopted, with the help of a purposely designed database. The concept and development stages of sustainability‐oriented PPP are examined. The research status of sustainability‐oriented PPP is analysed. The increasing popularity of sustainability‐oriented PPP studies is, to a degree, associated with policies of the key global players in PPP. Research gaps and future research trends are suggested. This research contributes to the body of knowledge of sustainability‐oriented PPP and can help researchers and practitioners in better understanding the status, gaps and direction of future efforts regarding sustainability‐oriented PPP.

中文翻译：

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公私伙伴关系是可持续发展的工具–文献怎么说？

联合国已经提出公私伙伴关系（PPP）作为实现可持续发展目标的工具。然而，关于这一概念的文献的看法和趋势尚未得到充分研究。这项研究通过回顾面向可持续性的PPP研究，填补了公认的空白，以更好地了解PPP与可持续发展之间的关系。在专门设计的数据库的帮助下，采用了自下而上的方法。考察了面向可持续性的PPP的概念和发展阶段。分析了面向可持续发展的PPP的研究现状。在一定程度上，以可持续性为导向的PPP研究的日益普及与PPP主要全球参与者的政策有关。建议研究差距和未来的研究趋势。