Partnering for good? An analysis of how to achieve sustainability-related outcomes in public-private partnerships

摘要

Since 1987, members of the United Nations have strived for improvingsustainability to fulfill the vision of sustainable development. Current discussionsfocus on the role of collaborations between public and private actors to realize social,ecological, and economic sustainability. This study explores how public–privatepartnerships may contribute to the achievement of sustainability-related outcomes byanalyzing a longitudinal case in the German public bathing and swimming poolsector. The empirical findings illustrate how both external conditions, such as reg-ulation or industry-self regulation, and internal elements, such as specific structureand process elements of the public–private partnership, contribute to sustainability-related outcomes. Results reveal an interaction of specific external conditions andsome internal elements. Our findings serve as a starting point for further empiricalinvestigations of the sustainable provision of public services via public–privatepartnerships, and form a basis for theory development. The revealed insights result inpractical implications for partners involved in public–private partnerships.