IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirc/v30y2012i4p627-642.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Transnational Public–Private Partnerships' Performance in Water Governance: Institutional Design Matters

Author

Listed:
  • Marianne Beisheim

    (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik and SFB 700 Governance, Ludwigkirchplatz 3-4, 10719 Berlin, Germany)

  • Sabine Campe

    (SEEK Development, Käthe-Niederkirchner-Str. 23, 10407 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

Transnational public-private partnerships (PPPs) are new forms of governance that have caught the interest of researchers in recent years. While the literature tends to portray PPPs as loosely institutionalized forms of governance, we argue that PPPs' institutional design varies and matters for their effectiveness. We aim to demonstrate that a high degree of institutionalization (obligation, precision, delegation) is relevant in cases that involve collective action problems—that is, for those PPPs that have to deal with distributional conflict, cheating, or free-riding. To substantiate our argument, we compare and analyze the performance of three transnational water partnerships (not to be confused with municipal for-profit PPPs). Our results confirm that a high degree of institutionalization tends to be important for those water partnerships that implement costly projects. It is less important for those that focus on the comparatively undemanding task of exchanging and disseminating knowledge and best practice in water management and governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Marianne Beisheim & Sabine Campe, 2012. "Transnational Public–Private Partnerships' Performance in Water Governance: Institutional Design Matters," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 30(4), pages 627-642, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:30:y:2012:i:4:p:627-642
    DOI: 10.1068/c1194
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/c1194
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1068/c1194?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. Nadia Tecco, 2008. "Financially sustainable investments in developing countries water sectors: what conditions could promote private sector involvement?," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 129-142, June.
    2. Stein, Arthur A., 1982. "Coordination and collaboration: regimes in an anarchic world," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 36(2), pages 299-324, April.
    3. Patricia Phumpiu & Jan Gustafsson, 2009. "When are Partnerships a Viable Tool for Development? Institutions and Partnerships for Water and Sanitation Service in Latin America," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(1), pages 19-38, January.
    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. Kenneth W. Abbott & Benjamin Faude, 2022. "Hybrid institutional complexes in global governance," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 263-291, April.
    2. Greg Barrett & Margaret Wallace, 2011. "An Institutional Economics Perspective: The Impact of Water Provider Privatisation on Water Conservation in England and Australia," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(5), pages 1325-1340, March.
    3. Naho Mirumachi & Margot Hurlbert, 2022. "Reflecting on twenty years of international agreements concerning water governance: insights and key learning," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 317-332, June.
    4. Simon Schropp, 2007. "Revisiting the "Compliance-vs.-Rebalancing" Debate in WTO Scholarship a Unified Research Agenda," IHEID Working Papers 29-2007, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies, revised Dec 2007.
    5. Keck, Alexander & Schropp, Simon, 2007. "Indisputably essential: The economics of dispute settlement institutions in trade agreements," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2007-02, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    6. Michael C. Horowitz & Paul Poast & Allan C. Stam, 2017. "Domestic Signaling of Commitment Credibility," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 61(8), pages 1682-1710, September.
    7. Hug March & David Saurí, 2013. "The Unintended Consequences of Ecological Modernization: Debt-Induced Reconfiguration of the Water Cycle in Barcelona," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 45(9), pages 2064-2083, September.
    8. Michael Kaplowitz & Frank Lupi & Oscar Arreola, 2012. "Local Markets for Payments for Environmental Services: Can Small Rural Communities Self-Finance Watershed Protection?," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(13), pages 3689-3704, October.
    9. Liddle Elisabeth S. & Mager Sarah M. & Nel Etienne, 2014. "Water quality awareness and barriers to safe water provisioning in informal communities: A case study from Ndola, Zambia," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 26(26), pages 1-15, December.
    10. Schneider, Volker & Werle, Raymund, 1988. "Regime oder korporativer Akteur? Die EG in der Telekommunikationspolitik," MPIfG Discussion Paper 88/4, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    11. David L. Rousseau, 2002. "Motivations for Choice," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 46(3), pages 394-426, June.
    12. Werle, Raymund, 2000. "Institutional aspects of standardization: Jurisdictional conflicts and choice of standardization organizations," MPIfG Discussion Paper 00/1, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    13. Ronald B. Mitchell, 1994. "9. Heterogeneities at Two Levels: States, Non-State Actors and Intentional Oil Pollution," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 6(4), pages 625-653, October.
    14. Kenneth W. Abbott & Duncan Snidal, 1998. "Why States Act through Formal International Organizations," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 42(1), pages 3-32, February.
    15. Tanja A. Börzel, 2011. "Comparative Regionalism - A New Research Agenda," KFG Working Papers p0028, Free University Berlin.
    16. Zhen Chen & Yaqi Zhao & Xia Zhou & Lin Zhang, 2020. "Investigating Critical Factors That Encourage Private Partners to Participate in Sports and Leisure Characteristic Town Public-Private Partnerships: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-23, April.
    17. Stelios Gialis & Athanasios Loukas & Chrysi Laspidou, 2011. "Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Facts on Water Sector Privatization: The Greek Case Against European and Global Trends," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(6), pages 1699-1719, April.
    18. Leonardo Baccini & Johannes Urpelainen, 2014. "Before ratification: understanding the timing of international treaty effects on domestic policies," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 50278, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    19. Juan Battaleme Martinez, 2009. "Posibles futuros: transición y cambio en la política internacional," CEMA Working Papers: Serie Documentos de Trabajo. 396, Universidad del CEMA.
    20. Pierre Berthaud & Tancrède Voituriez, 2013. "BASIC effect on global climate governance. Power changes and regime shifts," Post-Print halshs-00868468, HAL.

    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:sae:envirc:v:30:y:2012:i:4:p:627-642. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.