In international development, the number of partnerships between the public and private sector (PPPs) has risen in recent years. But discussion around the efficacy of PPPs has become increasingly polarised.
On one side, PPPs can have greater impact on development outcomes by harnessing the skills, experience and knowledge from both the government and non-state actors. They also provide developing countries with a means of accessing additional financial resources to deliver on projects and programmes.
On the other, DfID has recently faced criticism for its plans to channel more UK aid funding through PPPs. It has been suggested that the projects pursued are ones that are perceived to be financially viable from the private sector perspective; the ethical motivation is profitability over poverty reduction; the privatisation of some services will lead to the poor being left behind because of lack of affordability; and governments’ control over public services is greatly reduced with PPPs.
So what are the requirements that need to be in place for successful public-private collaborations, and do ethical considerations of the private sector run counter to development objectives?
Details
Date: Monday 27 February 2017
Time: 18.30 – 20.45
Location: Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS University, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H 0XG
Cost: £5.50
Panellists
Dr Elisa Van Waeyenberge, lecturer in economics at SOAS University
Neil Jeffery, chief executive officer at WSUP (Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor), a non-profit partnership between the private sector, NGOs and research institutions
Elaine Unterhalter, professor of education and international development at UCL’s Institute of Education
Final panellist, TBC
Moderator
Bibi van der Zee, editor of the Guardian’s Global Development Professionals Network
