Public private partnerships in transport: theory and practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the Special Issue on public private partnerships in transport: theory and practice, to justify its need, to highlight key issues and propose future research in response to current and future challenges. Design/methodology/approach – Setting the context of public private partnerships (PPPs) in transport, the key issues of this infrastructure and service delivery model are highlighted through the authors’ critical description of the contributions in the Special Issue, which present a balanced presentation of theory and practice. Findings – The paper summarises critically and constructively the findings of the contributions to the Special Issue and based on these puts forward the need for research in new assessment methodologies and the need to develop appreciating projects. Research limitations/implications – Issues identified in combination with current macro-economic and social developments lead to the proposal of research needs that should be be addressed in support of the next generation of PPPs in the transport sector. Practical implications – The contributions to this Special Issue were selected so as to offer examples from practice and describe them through theory so as to enhance the understanding of the factors influencing the implementation of the PPP model of project delivery in the transport sector. Social implications – The Special Issue on public private partnerships in transport: theory and practice highlights the need for the development of new structures and new concepts that will lead to value creation, value capture and value continuation in order to address sustainable societal challenges in mobility. Originality/value – The Special Issue with respect to PPPs in transport is timely with respect to international developments and questions raised with respect to the applicability of the project delivery model. Research proposed for the next generation of PPPs presents the context of value creation, value capture and value continuation.