Are good governance principles institutionalised with policy transfer? An examination of public–private partnerships policy promotion in China

Abstract

This article explores the following question: To what extent are good governance principles being institutionalised in China as a result of public–private partnerships (PPP) policy transfer? Since 2013, China has been pursuing PPP and applying aspects of related good governance drawing from Western experience despite its radically different fragmented authoritarian regime. This makes China a unique case to observe the extent to which good governance principles can be institutionalised in very different contexts. This article assesses the degree of institutionalisation of three good governance principles that guide PPP policy elsewhere: transparency and accountability, willingness to collaborate and equity between partners. It argues that while the PPP policies have been applied extensively in recent years, these good governance principles have been institutionalised to varying degrees as they have had to be adapted and compromised to fit with existing power relations in authoritarian China. The findings aim to add value to the literature regarding PPP policy transfer and good governance, by revealing the challenges of institutionalising good governance principles through PPP policy transfer in an alien context.

Identification of Various Execution Modes and Their Respective Risks for Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Infrastructure Projects

“…It is a fact that PPP modalities are used for the execution of infrastructure projects under uncertain environments despite their experience has reached almost at maturity level in the UK and other developed countries like France and Germany, which have now accepted it as a traditional execution method has not produced desirable output of project performance regardless of extreme care taken at early stages of the projects [3]. The PPP-based model originated from Anglo-Saxon countries [4] and was initially used in 1977 by the UK. Since then, its popularity has increased worldwide, and in the current years, it is spreading swiftly in China [5] and other countries in Asia, Africa, and Australia on a large scale [4].…”

“…The PPP-based model originated from Anglo-Saxon countries [4] and was initially used in 1977 by the UK. Since then, its popularity has increased worldwide, and in the current years, it is spreading swiftly in China [5] and other countries in Asia, Africa, and Australia on a large scale [4]. PPP regime has now spread to around 134 developing countries with 15-20% of the total investment cost of infrastructure projects [6].…”