Public–private partnerships in Flemish schools: a complex governance structure in a complex context

Abstract

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) are used very widely but remarkably little empirical research has been published investigating the governance of PPPs. PPPs are complex infrastructure projects and present important governance challenges as the responsibilities of public and private partners are ambiguous and can be confused. This paper looks at the interactions between the elements of complexity and at the governance structure of PPPs, and their combined effect on performance. A case study in Flanders (the northern region of Belgium) is discussed.