IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/rnd/arjebs/v9y2018i6p67-89.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Potential Role of PPPs in Developing a Sustainable SME Sector in Developing Countries: A South African Experience

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Mabuza

Abstract

The introduction of Public-private Partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure provision has changed the way in which governments around the world now view infrastructure provision. However, the introduction of PPPs to deliver infrastructure has not benefited the broader public. Although SMEs are important for employment creation, inequality and poverty reduction, the participation of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in PPP projects is very low in developing countries. This is because PPP models in developing countries are developed based on those used in developed economies, and such models ignore the socioeconomic realities facing developing countries. The objective of this study is therefore to demonstrate that PPP projects in developing countries present an opportunity for growing the SME sector and create the needed jobs and contribute to poverty alleviation. The study has found that PPP projects have the potential to develop a sustainable SME sector, as it has found that SMEs do participate in PPP projects; however, their participation is curtailed by a number of challenges such as: lack of access to finance, limited human resources, low technological capabilities, and lack of access to markets. It also found that linking SMEs to PPP projects may address some of these challenges to a certain extent, especially if SMEs provide services to PPP projects during both the implementation and the operational phases of PPP projects. It also found that PPPs have not yet been identified by the South African government as one of the initiatives that can facilitate SME development. Most focus on PPP projects is only on ensuring that they include ownership by previously disadvantaged South Africans. The study recommends that a policy be developed that will incentivise PPP firms to use SMEs in their projects and penalise those PPP firms that fail to comply with the policy imperatives. It went on and found that the different South African government institutional initiatives or frameworks to support SMEs seem to be adequate; however, what is needed is a cohesive approach that links all these initiatives together and ensures that they support one another.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Mabuza, 2018. "The Potential Role of PPPs in Developing a Sustainable SME Sector in Developing Countries: A South African Experience," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 9(6), pages 67-89.
    • Handle: RePEc:rnd:arjebs:v:9:y:2018:i:6:p:67-89
    DOI: 10.22610/jebs.v9i6(J).2006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ojs.amhinternational.com/index.php/jebs/article/view/2006/1550
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://ojs.amhinternational.com/index.php/jebs/article/view/2006
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22610/jebs.v9i6(J).2006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jong-Wha Lee, 2001. "Education for Technology Readiness: Prospects for Developing Countries," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(1), pages 115-151.
    2. Lall, Sanjaya, 1992. "Technological capabilities and industrialization," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 165-186, February.
    3. Criscuolo, Chiara & Gal, Peter N. & Menon, Carlo, 2014. "The dynamics of employment growth: new evidence from 18 countries," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60286, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Parmendra Sharma & Neelesh Gounder, 2012. "Obstacles to bank financing of micro and small enterprises: empirical evidence from the Pacific with some policy implications," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 19(2), pages 49-75, December.
    5. Klein, Michael & Aaron, Carl & Hadjimichael, Bita, 2001. "Foreign direct investment and poverty reduction," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2613, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rauf Gönenç & Béatrice Guérard, 2017. "Austria’s digital transition: The diffusion challenge," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1430, OECD Publishing.
    2. Giuliani, Elisa & Martinelli, Arianna & Rabellotti, Roberta, 2016. "Is Co-Invention Expediting Technological Catch Up? A Study of Collaboration between Emerging Country Firms and EU Inventors," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 192-205.
    3. Jan Fagerberg & Bengt-Åke Lundvall & Martin Srholec, 2018. "Global Value Chains, National Innovation Systems and Economic Development," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(3), pages 533-556, July.
    4. Lee, Jong-Wha, 2005. "Human capital and productivity for Korea's sustained economic growth," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 663-687, August.
    5. Jan Fagerberg & Martin Srholec, 2017. "Global Dynamics, Capabilities and the Crisis," Economic Complexity and Evolution, in: Andreas Pyka & Uwe Cantner (ed.), Foundations of Economic Change, pages 83-106, Springer.
    6. Alexis Habiyaremye, 2008. "Economic Proximity and Technology Flows: South Africa's Influence and the Role of Technological Interaction in Botswana's Diversification Effort," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2008-92, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Oznur Ozdamar & Eleftherios Giovanis & Sahizer Samuk, 2020. "State business relations and the dynamics of job flows in Egypt and Turkey," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(4), pages 519-558, December.
    8. Tagscherer, Ulrike, 2015. "Science-Industry-Linkages in China: Motivation, Models and Success Factors for Collaborations of MNCs with Chinese Academia," Discussion Papers "Innovation Systems and Policy Analysis" 47, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
    9. Sidia Moreno Rojas & Agueda García Carrillo, 2014. "Sistema para la evaluación de capacidades de innovación en pymes de países en desarrollo: caso Panamá," Revista Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, vol. 0(2), pages 109-122, December.
    10. Blessing Atwine & Ibrahim Mike Okumu & John Bosco Nnyanzi, 2023. "What drives the dynamics of employment growth in firms? Evidence from East Africa," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-25, December.
    11. Wignaraja, Ganeshan, 2008. "FDI and Innovation as Drivers of Export Behaviour: Firm-level Evidence from East Asia," MERIT Working Papers 2008-061, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    12. Naudé, Wim & Nagler, Paula, 2022. "The Ossified Economy: The Case of Germany, 1870-2020," IZA Discussion Papers 15607, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Cristina Fernández & Roberta García & Paloma Lopez-Garcia & Benedicta Marzinotto & Roberta Serafini & Juuso Vanhala & Ladislav Wintr, 2017. "Firm growth in Europe: An overview based on the COMPNET labour module," BCL working papers 107, Central Bank of Luxembourg.
    14. Gideon Ndubuisi & Solomon Owusu, 2021. "How important is GVC participation to export upgrading?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(10), pages 2887-2908, October.
    15. Prasad Pant, Laxmi & Hambly Odame, Helen & Hall, Andy & Sulaiman, Rasheed, 2008. "Learning Networks Matter: Challenges to Developing Learning-Based Competence in Mango Production and Post-Harvest in Andhra Pradesh, India," MERIT Working Papers 2008-069, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    16. Ramani, Shyama V. & Chowdhury, Nupur & Coronini, Roger & Reid, Susan, 2011. "On India's plunge into Nanotechnology: What are good ways to catch-up?," MERIT Working Papers 2011-020, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    17. Dutrénit, Gabriela & Natera, José Miguel & Puchet Anyul, Martín & Vera-Cruz, Alexandre O., 2019. "Development profiles and accumulation of technological capabilities in Latin America," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 396-412.
    18. Tarighi, Sina & Shavvalpour, Saeed, 2021. "Technological development of E&P companies in developing countries: An integrative approach to define and prioritize customized elements of technological capability in EOR," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    19. Daniel Fackler & Lisa Hölscher & Claus Schnabel & Antje Weyh, 2022. "Does working at a start-up pay off?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 2211-2233, April.
    20. Giovanni Dosi & Andrea Roventini & Emmanuele Russo, 2020. "Public Policies And The Art Of Catching Up," Working Papers hal-03242369, HAL.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:rnd:arjebs:v:9:y:2018:i:6:p:67-89. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Muhammad Tayyab (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://ojs.amhinternational.com/index.php/jebs .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.