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Public private partnership and the challenge of post-contractual balance : the case of the Ghana telecom and water company contracts

The World Bank and other multi-lateral donor organisations are increasingly urging governments in developing world to engage the private sector under the banner of Public Private Partnership to manage their public utility infrastructure and service provision. However, the World Bank’s enthusiasm for this private sector model as a solution to developing country infrastructure and financing problems is not the result of compelling evidence. This argument that the public sector may not be able to achieve post-contractual balance and achieve good supplier balance is tested using data from two case studies in Ghana: telecom and water sector under PPP. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken and documentary sources collected. The case studies provided evidence that the Ghanaian public sector failed to achieve post-contractual balance and good supplier performance. The study concludes that PPP is not delivering the expected good value for money for the public sector and that Ghanaian public officials specifically should be cautious of their optimism that they have the ability to develop balance and obtain good value for money with the private sector partners. This study fills a gap in transaction cost economics literature that does not consider power as relevant in the outcome in business-to-business relationships. It contributes to literature by demonstrating that adverse pre-contractual power relation can act as a constraint on the public sector to develop post-contractual balance with the private sector.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:569715
Date January 2013
CreatorsIddirisu, Baba
PublisherUniversity of Birmingham
Source SetsEthos UK
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Sourcehttp://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/4064/

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