ABSTRACT

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is the label often applied to long-term contractual arrangements when the private sector provides management and operating services for public infrastructure and puts private finance at risk. Political and economic logics have long been applied when analysing the success of such infrastructure delivery mechanisms. Mixed empirical performance results has been a recurring theme. Decades of PPP implementation experience has improved our knowledge of the political and policy “logic” of PPP success, but public administration scholars know less about the logic of the economist, about how economic thinking has evolved and its effects on PPP evaluation. This article explores discussions and debates analysing the economics of PPPs. It challenges the PPP economic efficiency argument, not from the perspective of public administration or public policy (which now repeat well-rehearsed arguments) but from the perspective of economics itself. The article argues overall that there are strongly competing economics logics relevant to PPPs, and that public administration scholars need to be more aware of these internal economics controversies and debates rather than assuming that economics is a settled homogenous discipline. Furthermore, it argues that this heterogeneity of economic logics is a central reason why PPP performance debates continue to be unresolved.

摘要

当私营部门为公共基础设施提供管理和运营服务并使私人融资面临风险时，公私伙伴关系 (PPP) 是经常应用于长期合同安排的标签。在分析此类基础设施交付机制是否成功时，长期以来一直应用政治和经济逻辑。混合的经验绩效结果一直是一个反复出现的主题。数十年的 PPP 实施经验提高了我们对 PPP 成功的政治和政策“逻辑”的认识，但公共行政学者对经济学家的逻辑、经济思维如何演变及其对 PPP 评估的影响知之甚少。本文探讨了分析 PPP 经济学的讨论和辩论。它挑战了 PPP 经济效率论点，不是从公共行政或公共政策的角度（现在重复经过充分演练的论点），而是从经济学本身的角度。文章总体上认为，与 PPP 相关的经济学逻辑存在强烈竞争，公共行政学者需要更多地意识到这些内部经济学的争议和争论，而不是假设经济学是一门固定的同质学科。此外，它认为这种经济逻辑的异质性是 PPP 绩效争论继续悬而未决的一个核心原因。并且公共行政学者需要更多地意识到这些内部经济学的争论和辩论，而不是假设经济学是一门固定的同质学科。此外，它认为这种经济逻辑的异质性是 PPP 绩效争论继续悬而未决的一个核心原因。并且公共行政学者需要更多地意识到这些内部经济学的争论和辩论，而不是假设经济学是一门固定的同质学科。此外，它认为这种经济逻辑的异质性是 PPP 绩效争论继续悬而未决的一个核心原因。