The State of PPPs: Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships in Emerging Markets & Developing Economies 1991-2015

Governments have long acknowledged the key role infrastructure plays in economic growth and poverty reduction. As countries face growing demand for infrastructure, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) continue to play a crucial role in improving efficiencies in delivering public services, one of the key elements to narrowing the infrastructure gap. This becomes even more important as history shows that shifting the development, maintenance, and operational risk on to the private sector often results in higher quality and overall better results than government provisioning.

This report uses data from the PPI Database to analyze broad trends of PPP investment in infrastructure from 1991 to 2015. Specifically, it examines factors behind the growth and declines in investment; it explores the use of financial instruments, the role of government support, MDB assistance and the procurement process; and it assesses renegotiations and cancelations, and the overall readiness of countries to implement PPPs.