Scientific capital structure is the key to guarantee sufficient funds and achievement of objectives of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, while inappropriate capital structure has caused the failure of many projects. Meanwhile, sustainability is an important concept that should be concerned during the life cycle of PPP projects. Therefore, this study aimed to: (1) identify the critical factors influencing the capital structure of PPP projects from a sustainability perspective; and (2) analyze the relationships between the factors and the capital structure based on qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). This study identified seven critical factors influencing the capital structure of PPP projects. Moreover, the non-economic indicators should be concerned as well as the economic indicators. Thus, proper capital structure not only provides ample funds but also promotes the long-term healthy operation of projects and creates positive effects on the industry, region and society. Furthermore, the findings indicated that benefit, external situation, cost, ability of private sector and government support were the top critical factors. In addition, although risk did not show great importance, it had close relationship with other factors, which means risk should be concerned comprehensively. This study enriches the theoretical research about the capital structure of PPP projects and offers a new idea about the integration of sustainability and PPP projects. In addition, it supports the reasonable selection of capital structure in practice and promotes the practical application of sustainability on PPP projects.

As an important issue in the public-private partnership (PPP) projects, the profit distribution has a critical impact on both the public and private sectors. Moreover, the influence of the private sector on the profit distribution of PPP projects cannot be ignored because the private sector are the implementers of PPP projects and responsible for the life-cycle performance and management of PPP projects. Therefore, this study aims at (1) investigating the influencing factors of the profit distribution of PPP projects from the private sector’s perspective and (2) analyzing the relationships between the factors and the profit distribution by the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). The results first showed that the five key influencing factors on the profit distribution from the private sector’s perspective were the risk sharing, financing ability, investment, management ability, and effort level. Moreover, the results indicated that the risk sharing was the most important factor that had a positive impact on the profit distribution. Furthermore, the strong management ability and the high ratio of investment were identified as critical factors that led to a larger proportion of profits distributed to the private sector. In addition, the financing ability and the effort level of the private sector should also be considered in the profit distribution plan. The findings first contributed to the body of knowledge on the influencing factors of the profit distribution in PPP projects. In addition, this study is the first attempt of exploring the characteristics of the private sector under the context of profit distribution of PPP projects and using the QCA method to enrich the theoretical research. Thus, the findings would help the private companies improve their abilities and ensure their profits. Besides, the public and private sectors can make appropriate profit distribution proposals in practice based on the conclusion of this study.

During the rapid development of rural infrastructures in China, many important issues such as the real wishes of farmers and the proper management of the infrastructure have been overlooked, resulting in a weak sense of gain among farmers. To propose effective improvement strategies, this research aimed to explore the influence mechanism of the farmers’ sense of gain and to build a comprehensive evaluation model of farmers’ sense of gain in the provision of rural infrastructure. To achieve the above aims, we first proposed hypotheses among four constructs and selected an evaluation index for each construct. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and a questionnaire survey, we then verified the proposed hypotheses and developed a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model of the farmers’ sense of gain in the provision of rural infrastructure. The results first showed that the content of gain and the way of gain directly affect the farmers’ sense of gain, and the governance indirectly affects the farmers’ sense of gain. Moreover, the way of gain has the greatest impact on the sense of gain, followed by the governance and the content of gain. Furthermore, the analysis results demonstrate that the developed fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model is feasible and effective in evaluating farmers’ sense of gain in the provision of rural infrastructures. The findings of this study first enrich the relevant theories of farmers’ sense of gain in the provision of rural infrastructure. The findings also provide theoretical support for the government authorities to put forward effective governance strategies for rural infrastructure from the perspective of farmers’ sense of gain.

With the continuous advancement of urbanization, the problem of urban domestic wastewater has become increasingly serious. Furthermore, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have flourished, providing smart ideas for the governance of urban problems, including smart urban domestic wastewater (SUDW), to improve efficiency and deliver smart cities. The framework of smart governance is vital for urban planning and development, but existing frameworks lack systematic characteristics. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically analyze the functions that SUDW can achieve from a sustainability perspective and to construct a framework of SUDW. This paper articulated the objectives of SUDW from the perspectives of service providers (mainly wastewater treatment plants, WWTPs), government, and public based on the goals of smart cities and sustainable development. Moreover, seven functions of SUDW were identified based on systematic literature analysis, such as the automation of WWTPs and operation and maintenance of sewer assets. Then, the information needed for the above functions was analyzed to clarify communication between the main stakeholders and functions, which were illustrated by an information chain model. The functions are interrelated and closely related to sustainable development, where information sharing is the foundation and key component. Based on the above analyses, a data-driven framework of SUDW consisting of five layers was proposed. The paper indicated that the core of SUDW is the perception, transmission, storage, analysis, and application of relevant data. The study not only contributes to the body of knowledge relating to smart cities but can also guide the planning of cities to realize SUDW, smart cities, and sustainable development.

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