Why are there so few Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Denmark?
Why are there so few Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Denmark?
- A departmental game for power, interests and positions
Abstract
Whereas public-private partnerships (PPPs) are used throughout the world, Denmark has taken a more reluctant stance towards PPPs. This article analyses the Danish regulatory framework for PPPs in an attempt to answer why Denmark displays so little action on PPPs. In an analysis inspired by game-theory it is shown how central government ministries such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry for Economic and Business Affairs take conflicting positions towards PPPs. The departmental games on Danish regulatory policies for PPPs are characterized by conflicting positions, and the institutional framework does not support a coordinated solution to these fundamental disagreements. The consequence is an uncoordinated governmental policy for PPPs. The article shows how the Ministry of Finance takes a dominant position in the inter-departmental coordination procedures, and provides a rare insight to the Danish Government’s internal coordination procedures where the government’s economic policies are formulated and coordinated.
Ole Helby Petersensen, April 2009, tidsskriftet Økonomi og Politik