UN DESA: Public-Private Partnerships and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Fit for purpose?

DESA Working Paper No. 148
ST/ESA/2016/DWP/148
February 2016

Jomo KS, Anis Chowdhury, Krishnan Sharma, Daniel Platz

In light of a cautious emphasis given to public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a mechanism to finance infrastructure projects and highlighting the need for capacity building and knowledge sharing at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, this paper reviews the extant literature on the subject and identifies areas requiring better understanding and institutional innovation for ensuring value for money, minimizing contingent fiscal risk and improving accountability. An institutional capacity to create, manage and evaluate PPPs is essential to ensure that they become an effective instrument of delivery of important services, such as infrastructure. There is also a need for a common definition of PPPs and internationally accepted guidelines, including uniform accounting and reporting standards.

JEL Classification: H41, H54, L32, L33, O18

Keywords: Public-Private Partnerships, value for money, infrastructure, Addis Ababa Action Agenda, sustainable development