Future aspirations towards public private partnerships : Malta 2016 and beyond

Abstract

The scope of this study was to research the current status and ascertain the future trajectory of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Malta. So as to achieve this objective, this study sought to determine the causes and reasons as to why, despite the positive rhetoric surrounding PPPs, the number of successful Maltese PPPs remains so small. Furthermore, this study planned to provide an overview of the existing projects and research initiatives vis-à-vis PPPs in Malta, in order to determine the existence or otherwise of a commitment to further increase the number of successful Maltese PPPs. This study reviewed existing literature on the subject. Primary sources were also used to broaden the perspective on contemporary developments in the field. The data gathered from these primary sources was descriptive rather than numerical and, hence, the product of qualitative research paradigms rather than quantitative methods. Through the findings, distinct patterns emerged, resulting in analyses that corresponded to the two objectives of this study; the origin and development of PPPs in Malta and the present and future of PPPs in Malta. This study noted the evolution of PPPs as global phenomena, with many developed and developing countries reaping the benefits they generate in terms of efficiency, cost savings, effectiveness, innovation and more. It is, thus, highly recommended that a contemporary research agenda on the internationalisation of PPPs be evolved. This exercise would allow the adoption of multidisciplinary analytical approaches, together with ideas and practices, which are developing progressively towards efficiently working models of PPPs.