Public-Private Partnership? Shifting Paradigms of Economic Governance in Ontario

Abstract

In recent years, many governments have embraced new modes of economic governance that rely on public-private partnerships. These forms of governance effectively devolve authority and responsibility from the state, and instead rely on the policy networks found in civil society.This article argues that despite the general enthusiasm for such decentralized collaboration, there is significant variation in its meaning and practice. Comparing the public-private partnership strategies of two governments in Ontario in the 1990s, the article analyzes the origins and progress of two distinctive governance paradigms, looking for signs of economic innovation.The case studies demonstrate that each of the social democratic and neoliberal paradigms contains its own specific representational logic, organizational design, and policy purpose. The article underscores the analytical importance of linking the study of decentralized policy networks at the meso or local scale to macro-level political and economic factors that condition their operation and effects. It concludes with a discussion of the obstacles to institutional innovation in Ontario, and the conditions that facilitate successful public-private partnerships in economic governance.

The ecosystem approach and the global imperative on Toronto’s Central Waterfront

“…Public-private partnerships had become the answer to supposed government inefficiency, the promotion of sectoral agglomeration was gaining steam, and cities were increasingly recognised as primary generators of new economic activity (Bradford, 2003). The City of Toronto's own Economic Development Strategy, adopted in July 2000, insisted that "cities have emerged as the building blocks of a global economy" and that, in order to adequately compete with its competitor cities, Toronto would benefit by adopting such neoliberal tools as the so-called "innovative new financing instruments" along with "harnessing the power of public, private and voluntary sector partnerships" and adopting "new roles in economic development" such as "entrepreneurship" and "risk financing" (City of Toronto, 2000c, p. 6, pp.…”

The Deployment of Partnerships by the Voluntary Sector to Address Service Needs in Rural and Small Town Canada

“…Such complexity often demands information, support, or assistance from a range of sources and institutions. At the same time, there has been a movement in government policy to encourage voluntary organizations to develop partnerships with government departments, the private sector, service providers, and other voluntary organizations in order to qualify for funding programs (Borgen, 2000;Bradford, 2003;Osborne and Flynn 1997;O'Toole and Burdess 2004;Zahner 2005). Partnerships with local government or other local service providers were encouraged to demonstrate that the voluntary organization is proposing activities that have wide appeal and legitimacy in the community (Radin and Romzek 1996;Wall and Gordon 1999).…”

Les partenariats public-privé et leur place dans l'innovation hospitalière : quels enseignements pour le management hospitalier ?

“…Ces concepts de PPP à l'hôpital sont également souvent utilisés pour décrire des formes très variées de relations entre le public et le privé (Reich, 2002 ;Bradford, 2003 ;Wettenhall, 2003;Saves et Scheid, 2008 ;Mazouz et al, 2008 ;Mazouz, 2009). Les PPP diffèrent selon de nombreuses variables : le nombre de partenaires impliqués, la nature, l'intensité, la durée de la relation établie, l'objet de cette relation, etc.…”