ActewAGL: a genuine public‐private partnership?

Abstract

Purpose

There are two connected purposes: to reflect on the widespread current use and abuse of the term “public‐private partnership”, and to present a case study of an unusual joint venture associating a public and a private enterprise in delivering a multi‐utility service in the Canberra region of Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

The article combines the case study method with a review of relevant discourse about PPPs.

Findings

On the case study evidence presented, the article concludes that this joint venture comes much closer to being a genuine public‐private partnership than many arrangements loosely described as PPPs today.

Practical implications

The article invites the practitioner/academic community to think more precisely about the factors that need to be considered before it is appropriate to claim that a PPP exists.

Originality/value

The joint venture that is the subject of this case study has not previously been analysed in this way. The article suggests that it has value in serving as a model for the development of better thinking about PPPs.

Citation

Wettenhall, R. (2007), "ActewAGL: a genuine public‐private partnership?", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 20 No. 5, pp. 392-414. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513550710772512