Summing Up: Key Findings and Avenues for Future Research

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the principal results of the case studies and comparisons in the volume and reflects on these results in the light of our overarching conceptual and theoretical framework.1 In Section 9.1 of this chapter, we summarize and synthesize the findings on the overall effectiveness of transnational partnerships, presented in Chapters 3–5. As shown, the effectiveness of the 21 transnational public-private partnerships (PPPs) in our sample varies widely. We find effectiveness to be influenced most strongly by the degree of institutionalization and process management, with other factors showing occasional influence: The effect of these factors matters to different extents for the different types of PPPs, and we offer an explanation as to why this is the case. As outlined in the conceptual framework (see Section 2.4), we differentiate three types of PPPs by their core functions (see Liese and Beisheim, 2011): Standard-setting partnerships focus on establishing rules — for example, by drafting a voluntary code of conduct, often together with a verification or certification scheme; service-providing partnerships focus on the distribution of resources and provision of services; and knowledge-transferring partnerships generate new expertise, engage in agenda setting, and provide a forum for the exchange and dissemination of best practices.