Public-private Partnerships in Urban Infrastructure Services

THIS PAPER REVIEWS the options for the development of public/private partnerships in the management of urban infrastructure services in the South. The authors examine the different groups involved in partnerships providing urban infrastructure, which they break down into the public sector, the private sector (both “formal” and “informal”), NGOs and community based organizations, and the different partnership options between these actors for a variety of services including water, sewerage, transport infrastructure and electricity. Options examined range from full privatization, through contracting out, leasing and management contracts, to voluntary co-operatives. The analysis outlines the actions needed to successfully undertake these approaches and draws on case studies, presented in boxes, which illustrate examples of good practice from a wide range of Third World countries. Annexes include a checklist of actions to be undertaken by urban administrators who are considering the use of a partnership arrangement with a private organization, a brief report on a project which aimed to involve the private sector in the provision of urban services in Thailand and an extensive bibliography plus a list of other Urban Management Programme working papers.