The Forest and the Trees: A Systems Map of Governance Interdependencies in the Shaping Phase of Road Public-Private Partnerships

The emergence of public-private partnerships (PPPs) over the last few decades has prompted multiple literature reviews of the PPP body of knowledge. However, these studies typically report thematic classifications and bibliometric data. Based on the concept of governance, this paper takes a systems approach to synthesize evidence around complexities of the shaping phase of road PPPs. The approach employs a textual analysis of road PPP case studies reported in archival papers listed in Scopus and Web of Science between 1997 and 2018 and uses the system dynamics method to provide a holistic view, synthesizing major insights and layout interdependencies across financial, operational, and sociopolitical variables. The outcome of this endeavor is a systems map, which helps consolidate varying evidence from the past cases, and goes beyond a narrow focus on single causes of governance issues in road PPPs. Results show that, although no silver bullet exists for PPP governance problems, reaching satisfactory feasibility levels in the shaping phase is enabled most by having government agencies highly capable of dealing with procurement issues and generating attractive projects to the private sector. The map provides a synopsis of the relationships (the forest) as well as insights into the variables (the trees) behind PPP shaping efforts.