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When does a public–private partnership (PPP) lead to inefficient cost management? Evidence from South Korea’s urban rail system

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  • Sounman Hong

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of a public–private partnership (PPP) on the operational cost-efficiency of South Korea’s urban rail system. Seoul’s line 9, which is operated by a PPP, was compared with Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit (SMRT) which is entirely run by the public sector. Overall, no evidence was found that private operation led to clear and significant declines in costs to the public. Private shareholders, on the other hand, experienced a surprisingly high rate of return. The author explains why two characteristics defining a typical PPP—activity bundling and public–private risk-sharing—were behind this unintended outcome and makes suggestions to prevent other governments experiencing similar problems.

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  • Sounman Hong, 2016. "When does a public–private partnership (PPP) lead to inefficient cost management? Evidence from South Korea’s urban rail system," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(6), pages 447-454, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:pubmmg:v:36:y:2016:i:6:p:447-454
    DOI: 10.1080/09540962.2016.1206755
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    Cited by:

    1. Chang, Zheng & Phang, Sock-Yong, 2017. "Urban rail transit PPPs: Lessons from East Asian cities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 106-122.
    2. Shahin Shakibaei & Pelin Alpkokin, 2019. "Conflict Resolution in Competitive Liberalized Railway Market: Application of Game Theoretic Concepts," International Game Theory Review (IGTR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(01), pages 1-21, November.
    3. Zhao, Jianfeng & Liu, Henry J. & Love, Peter E.D. & Greenwood, David J. & Sing, Michael C.P., 2022. "Public-private partnerships: A dynamic discrete choice model for road projects," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).

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