Case Studies in Transport Public–Private Partnerships

Abstract

Case research, the preferred research tool for public–private partnerships (PPP), is performed within a specific context, and any findings cannot be separated from that context. This drawback limits the exploitation of research findings. The present research proposes a methodological framework and process by which the contextual elements of the setting for a PPP transport infrastructure are described in respective typologies. A preliminary description of these typologies is presented. The proposed methodological framework is piloted by using 12 case studies from different countries and different transport modes (TMs). The results suggest the potential to transfer findings within groups of similar dimensions regardless of the physical location of implementation, the TM infrastructure, or even the actual business model. In addition, initial findings indicate the potential to transfer findings and knowledge over time. New hypotheses are generated, and their verification may have significant impact on the credit rating of PPP projects for transport infrastructure and, consequently, on the identification of alternative sources of finance.