Public Partnerships Research Articles

RDM Services at the Luxembourg National Data Service

The Luxembourg National Data Service (LNDS) was established on 28 July 2022 by the Luxembourg government and public research institutes. LNDS is a national organisation providing services for value creation from public sector data from different domains. LNDS’ primary mission is to offer technology and data services, know-how, capabilities, platform, and infrastructure to enable sharing and re-use of data for public and private data partners. LNDS aims to become a key component of Luxembourg's data innovation strategy by (1) supporting research and innovation through a high-quality service offering, (2) contributing to accelerating the development of Luxembourg towards a data economy, (3) enabling the participation of both public research and private actors in the complete value-creating chain of data, (4) enhancing data in the context of joint innovation among all actors, and (5) becoming a partner of choice for joint development of the next generation of data products.

Importance of Public and Private Partnership Supporting Data Disaggregation to Measure Racial, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity Disparities in COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed shortcomings in the US public health data system infrastructure, including incomplete or disparate processes related to data collection, management, sharing, and analysis. Public health data modernization is critical to ensure health equity is at the core of preparedness and response efforts and policies that prioritize equitable responses to health emergencies. To address the inequitable uptake and distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations in communities most disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the CDC Foundation's Response Crisis and Preparedness Unit began partnering with community-based organizations in March 2021 to provide education and outreach and facilitate access to vaccines. These organizations engaged with partners and communities to address vaccine-related concerns, develop innovative and culturally appropriate communication strategies, and promote timely vaccination. Two grantees, Out Boulder County in Colorado and the Coalition of Asian American Leaders in Minnesota, experienced issues related to public health data collection standards and practices for COVID-19. Data collection tools often lack the appropriate or necessary demographic variables or level of disaggregation needed to be able to assess prioritization and disparities within racial and ethnic groups and across sexual orientation and gender identity categories. In this case study, both grantee organizations document their experiences, challenges, and strategies to overcome barriers to implementing their projects resulting from a lack of meaningful data. These examples identify inequities and systems-level changes related to data collection and surveillance, and they provide recommendations and lessons learned to improve data surveillance for more equitable public health responses.

Supplier Relationship Management and Organizational Performance: A Focus on Public Procurement

To attain operational excellence, organizations must enhance their supplier-buyer relations on a global scale. Organizations must strengthen their relationships with suppliers and buyers to obtain competitively priced goods and services of superior quality. A positive relationship between the two parties can also result in enhanced trust, quicker response times, and improved communication. This study examined the effects of the Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) framework on the operational effectiveness of agencies responsible for the essential procurement of goods and services. The principal aim of the research was to ascertain the SRM strategies implemented in public procurement and evaluate how they influence organizational performance. The research study implemented a descriptive design, which entailed gathering quantitative data. The study’s target population comprised 50 personnel employed in the public procurement divisions. A total of 43 respondents were recorded from a diverse range of agencies and divisions dealing with public procurement. Furthermore, the research employed a structured questionnaire comprising closed-ended inquiries to gather quantitative data for the subsequent analysis. The findings of the descriptive analysis show no indication of explicit SRM strategies being implemented in the organizations included in this study, according to the findings. The findings also uncovered many challenges that negatively impact the performance of organizations dealing with public procurement of essential goods, including a lack of commitment and trust among public procurement divisions and supply chain partners. In order to achieve organizational performance, the study suggests that pharmaceutical organizations place a greater emphasis on commitment to SRM through the implementation of systems that monitor, appraise, and evaluate performance at a strategic level.

Neural nets for sustainability conversations: modeling discussion disciplines and their impacts

We live in the age polarization, where conversations on matters of sustainability more often produce acrimony or stalemate than productive action. Better understanding conversation features and their impacts may lead to better innovation, solution-design, and ongoing collaboration. We describe a study to test alternate machine learning models for classifying six “discussion disciplines”, which are conversation features associated with rhetorical intent. The model providing the best outcome used the Bi-directional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) layered with a Residual Network (ResNet). The training data were 1135 utterances from Maine aquaculture town hall-like meetings and similar conversations, which had been hand-coded for the discussion disciplines. In addition, we generated 300 phrases corresponding to three conversation outcomes: Intent-to-Act, Options-Generation, and Relationship-Building. We then used the trained model and information retrieval to classify a large corpus of 591 open-source transcripts, containing over 21,000 utterances. A binary logistic regression analysis showed that two discussion disciplines, “Inclusion” and “Courtesy,” had positive, statistically significant, impacts on Intent-to-act: a 10 percentage point increase in the share of the Inclusion or Courtesy yielded a 45% or 34% increase, respectively, in the likelihood of Intent-to-Act. This study shows the applicability of neural networks in modeling conversations and identifying the dialog acts that can provide measurable and predictable impact on conversation outcomes. Conversational intelligence can support a variety of human interactions, such as town halls, policy-deliberations, private–public partnerships, and sustainability teamwork.

Structuring of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) Within the Scope of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) Under Latvian and Turkish Law

Abstract The establishment of a specific project company most commonly known as a Special Purpose/Project Vehicle (SPV) is a key feature of most Public private partnership (PPP) transactions in Turkey. According to the competent authority, the SPV is considered to fall under the definition of a Securitisation Special Purpose Vehicle (SSPE) then it should not be considered a financial sector entity. In order to meet the increasing infrastructure needs of Turkey, it is generally accepted necessary to utilise alternative financing models to be provided with the participation of the private sector in addition to the use of public resources. In this framework, PPPs model, which has been widely used in realisation of infrastructure investments in developed and developing countries in recent years, is also applied in Turkey. SPV PPP risks, income and losses usually are shared in proportion to the shares of a public partner and a private partner that they have in a joint venture. However capital companies also bid for the tender opened by the contracting public authority according to the relevant laws. If the tender is awarded to a business partnership or a capital company according to the relevant law, the documents regarding the establishment of the special purpose vehicle shall be requested. Generally, the SPV structured as a joint stock company. SPV is a feasible and an effective option for the lenders and financiers, who take into account the cash flow of the project and security over its assets for the repayments of the debts.

Peculiarities of Attracting Private Investments in the Area of the NWO on the Basis of Public-Private Partnership Legislation

In October 2022, four new subjects of the federation joined the Russian Federation: the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions (hereinafter referred to as the «new» regions). In addition to the main task of the complete liberation of these territories, the problem of restoring the civilian and industrial infrastructure destroyed as a result of hostilities in these regions is extremely urgent and acute. This article discusses the task of organizing a large volume of construction and restoration work in the new regions. Partially, this problem can be solved by attracting private investment. However, attracting private business is extremely problematic due to legislative and administrative barriers. The article proposes an innovative scheme for attracting private investment for repair and restoration work based on the use of the mechanism of public-private partnership (hereinafter referred to as PPP). As part of the implementation of this scheme, some kind of cooperation between the regions is expected — between a specific new region and the regions that perform construction and restoration work. The legislative basis for the proposed scheme of interregional cooperation is the Law on PPP 224-FZ. The proposed scheme assumes the presence of two public partners: the new region and the region-executor of repair and construction works and their joint competition. The organizational form for the implementation of projects in the PPP format is proposed "with an availability fee" or with fixed payments. Within the framework of this article, it is shown that it is possible to attract private investment to carry out repair and restoration work in the NWO area on the basis of the current legislation (Law 224-FZ) on PPP. At the same time, within the framework of the current legislation on PPP, it is possible to activate SMEs and their resources to carry out repair and construction work on the territory of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. The article gives recommendations to the formed teams of workers of small and medium-sized construction businesses on how to take part in these works. The necessary scientific substantiation and practical recommendations on this issue are presented in previously published works.

Совершенствование инструментов муниципального контроля в системе управления развитием экономики промышленности города

The article serves an introduction to the improvement of municipal control tools in relation to the problems of industrial economic development at the city level. A diagnostic is proposed that determines the need for inten-sive improvement of municipal control tools in the city’s industrial management system. Improved tools include control of legal employment registration, control of the budget process, procurement financing and debt man-agement of the municipality’s budget, control of natural, man-made, biological-social and other risks, control of passenger transportation safety, control of accessibility of vital and socially important objects of the city, transport control. On the example of the cities of the Southern Federal District of Russia, the need for the im-plementation of industrial policy to combine the observance of the principles of municipal and public partner-ship with the systematic modernization of public utilities and the entire life support infrastructure is substantiat-ed.

The impact of public-private investment in energy on environmental degradation: evidence from major investment countries.

The objective of the present study is to explore the impact of public-private investment in energy, foreign direct investment, urbanization, and renewable and non-renewable energy consumption on environmental degradation in major investment countries during the period 1998Q4-2018Q4. In doing so, the cross-sectional dependence test and CIPS panel unit test were employed to identify the cross-sectionally dependency and the integrational properties/stationarity among the variables. Furthermore, we opted for Westerlund (2007) panel cointegration test to check the long-run association among the variables. To achieve the short-run and long-run elasticities, we have recommended cross-sectional-autoregressive distributive lag (CS-ARDL). The study outcomes revealed that public-private partnership in energy is negatively and significantly impacting CO2 emissions in both the short run and the long run. Furthermore, foreign direct investment and urbanization are negatively related to CO2 emissions, while renewable energy is positively affected it. However, the coefficients are insignificant. Moreover, non-renewable energy has a positive and substantial influence on CO2 emissions. Lastly, study outcomes offer several policy insights to develop investment in public and private partnerships in the energy sector to reduce CO2 emissions in major investment countries.

Engaging Community-Based Organizations to Address Barriers in Public Health Programs: Lessons Learned From COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Programs in Diverse Rural Communities.

Factors such as geography, community hesitancy, the political landscape, and legislative efforts to limit public health authority have contributed to a disproportionate number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in US rural communities. Community-based organizations are trusted entities that provide social and educational services in the communities where they live and have proven to be effective public health partners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by rural communities, coupled with higher rates of vaccine hesitancy, the CDC Foundation awarded grants to 21 community-based organizations serving rural communities in 7 Midwest states to support the equitable uptake and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. In this case study, 2 grantees, the Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence and the Hmong American Center, provide case studies that document their experiences, challenges, and strategies for overcoming barriers during the implementation of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance projects in diverse rural communities. These case studies provide key lessons learned that can be applied to future public health emergency and nonemergency responses to ensure that all members of communities are served well and protected.

Intestinal parasitic infections among children aged 12-59 months in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda.

Intestinal parasitic infections are a public health burden and a major cause of illness in developing countries. The diseases lead to various health threats, including growth retardation and mental health-related disorders, especially in children. We assessed the risk factors for intestinal parasitic infections among children aged 12-59 months residing in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using secondary data from 1,048 children aged 12-59 months whose stool samples were examined for the presence of intestinal parasites and whose results were registered in the laboratory information system in 2020. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in children aged 12-59 months was 53.2%. The dominant parasites were Ascaris lumbricoides (13.1%), followed by Giardia lamblia (10.9%), Entamoeba histolytica (7.9%), Trichuris trichiura (6.5%), hookworms (1.7%), and Taenia species (1.4%). A significant association was observed between intestinal parasites and the literacy of mothers or children's caregivers (odds ratio (OR)=5.09, P<0.001). Children from farming households were 2.8-fold more likely to contract intestinal parasitic infections than those from nonfarming households (OR=2.8, P<0.001). A significant association was also observed between intestinal parasites and food safety (OR=4.9, P<0.001). Intestinal parasitic infections were significantly associated with hand hygiene practices after using the toilet and washing fresh fruits before eating (P<0.001). The information gathered will help public health providers and partners develop control plans in highly endemic areas in Rwanda.

For-Profit Businesses as Public Health Partners to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination: A Multiple Case Study.

This study aimed to describe the actions used by health professionals employed by large, for-profit businesses to promote uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, and factors that facilitated and hindered coordination with local public health leaders. In this qualitative multiple case study, we conducted telephone interviews with health professionals from businesses, health department leaders, and others who could provide information about local vaccination efforts (e.g., emergency managers, reporters). Businesses' self-interest (i.e., need to keep employees working), vaccine mandates, and characteristics of the businesses (e.g., ownership, expertise) facilitated leadership in COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Coordination with local health departments was influenced by the resources of the local health department and history of collaboration. Health professionals employed by large businesses can serve as key public health partners, but their role is shaped by characteristics of the businesses and communities.

Models using private general practitioners to provide caesarean deliveries at five South African district public hospitals: insights for public-private contracting for obstetric care in rural areas

ABSTRACT Background Harnessing of private sector resources could play an important role in efforts to promote universal access to safe obstetric care including caesarean delivery in low- and middle-income countries especially in rural contexts but any such attempt would need to ensure that the care provided is appropriate and patterns of inappropriate care, such as high caesarean delivery rates, are not reproduced for the entire population. Objective To examine the contracting arrangements for using private general practitioners to provide caesarean delivery services in rural district hospitals in South Africa. Method We utilised a mixed-method study design to examine the contracting models adopted by five rural district hospitals in the Western Cape, South Africa. Between April 2021 and March 2022, we collected routine data from delivery and theatre registers to capture the profile of deliveries and utilisation of contracted private GPs. We also conducted 23 semi-structured qualitative interviews with key stakeholders to explore perceptions of the contracting arrangements. Results All five hospitals varied in the level of use of private general practitioners and the contracting models (three private in-sourcing models – via locum agencies, sessional contracts, and tender contracts) used to engage them. Qualitative interviews revealed insights related to the need for flexibility in the use of contractual models to meet local contextual needs, cost implications and administrative burden. Conclusion Structured appropriately, private public partnerships can fill important gaps in human resources in rural district hospitals. Policy makers should look to developing a ‘contracting framework’ which requires compliance with a set of underlying principles but allows for flexibility in developing context specific contracting arrangements. These underlying principles should include a ‘risk’ based delivery model, adherence to public sector- evidence-based protocols, time-based rather than per delivery/type of delivery remuneration models, group liability arrangements, and processes to monitor outcomes.

Multidrug-Resistant Shigella sonnei Bacteremia among Persons Experiencing Homelessness, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Increased invasive bloodstream infections caused by multidrug resistant Shigella sonnei were noted in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, during 2021-2023. Whole-genome sequencing revealed clonal transmission of genotype 3.6.1.1.2 (CipR.MSM5) among persons experiencing homelessness. Improvements in identifying Shigella species, expanding treatment options for multidrug resistant infections, and developing public health partnerships are needed.

Perspectives From Community-Based HIV Service Organization Leaders on Priorities in Serving Sexual and Gender Minority Populations.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations experience discrimination and care-related barriers when seeking appropriate sexual health services. Using rapid assessment procedures we conducted site visits with 11 community-based HIV service agencies to identify priorities, assets, and needs related to serving SGM clients and assessed the alignment of these services with the city's local Ending the HIV Epidemic plan. We identified and mapped themes across agencies into the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research domains of inner and outer settings: client-facing materials; priorities in serving SGM communities; SGM policies and protocols; collecting sexual orientation and gender identity data; training and education; and funding and scope of programs. Rapid assessment procedures can accelerate the collection and interpretation of data to help public health institutions and community partners make timely adaptations when implementing comprehensive and culturally humble sexual health services for SGM communities.

Inflasi (Studi Kasus Pada Warteg di Kota Semarang)

The purpose of this study is to identify the potential and characteristics of MSMEs in Warung Tegal and to analyze internal and external factors as a business strategy for dealing with inflation. The data was analyzed using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) method. MSMEs of Warung Tegal has the same characteristics in production, marketing, human resources, finance, law, and support from related agencies. In addition, its production uses a manual process, Warung Tegal sells its products through offline stores directly with 2-10 employees. Capital is relatively low and some MSME units of Warung Tegal have legality and well-managed management. Local governments play an important role in developing MSMEs in the face of inflation. Its main strength is the local supply of raw materials and the strategic location of the business, and the main drawback is the limited labor ability due to lack of training. The main opportunity is the trend of high public demand and open business partnerships, but they also face fierce competition as the main threat. MSME strategies in dealing with inflation include increasing cooperation to maintain the continuity of raw materials between regions, developing MSME service innovations, and increasing the role of local governments.

Third-Sector Organizations in Area-Based Initiatives: Instruments for Public Policies or Partners in Co-Production?

Area-based initiatives are central government strategies for community development in particularly deprived urban areas. A core strategy in ABIs is to involve third-sector organizations through co-production. In these areas, the organized civil society is weak, and the public sector has special interests and a willingness to use resources. We ask: if and how can co-production be developed in areas with such power assymetries? Through documents and qualitative interviews, we examined seven ABIs in Norway. We find that managerial ability and coordination, autonomy of action, and, especially, the possession of resources are important dimensions for understanding the development of a co-productive relationship. In the ABIs, we find considerable interdependence between TSO and municipalities as both actors lack resources needed to fulfill their respective goals. This interdependence facilitated co-production.

The science of urban regions: Public-science-community partnerships as a new mode of regional governance?

Abstract This article offers a discussion on the opportunity of collaborative, multi-actor (public, private, science, social, and civic actors) partnerships as experimental policymaking and governance solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation plans geographically localized at the urban, metropolitan, and regional level. It sets out considerations as regards the need to design newly conceived permanent or temporary institutional geographies by building on the analysis of examples of policies implementing this kind of partnerships in Italy (e.g., river contracts; river foundations; neighborhood agreements; pacts of collaboration; city science offices; urban sustainable development and innovation partnerships, etc.). Finally, the article draws attention to the challenges entailed by these partnerships including ethics, accountability, and climate justice concerns.

Stakeholder collaboration for solid waste management in a small tourism island.

Although stakeholder collaboration is key for sustainable development of tourism in small islands, research on its determinants is only emerging. The lack of empirical studies hampers an understanding of how effective stakeholder partnerships for sustainability in small tourism islands can be formed and sustained. To partially address this knowledge gap, this study explores stakeholder collaboration for solid waste management in the island of Koh Phayam, Thailand, from the perspective of stakeholder theory, social capital and proximity effect. Semi-structured interviews (n = 26) reveal a lack of understanding of collaboration benefits alongside leadership and reciprocity among stakeholders. However, due to geographical proximity, the level of stakeholder trust in each other is significant, thus indicating potential for future successful partnerships. For these partnerships to become effective, a system of financial incentives for stakeholders to separate and recycle solid waste in situ should be designed. To improve stakeholder communication and reciprocity, capacity building workshops and round tables can be organised. Municipal authorities should lead on solid waste management, and a steering committee comprising the representatives of all other stakeholders needs to be established to oversee the work of municipal authorities. Lastly, the feasibility of setting private public partnerships for solid waste management in Koh Phayam should be considered given the significant extent of knowledge and trust among local stakeholders. External stakeholders, such as farmers, can be involved in management of organic waste, thus extending the scope of partnerships for sustainability beyond the island.

Enhancing local governance through community‐based conservation: lessons learned from a Utah local working group

AbstractBecause home ranges for many sensitive wildlife species often transcend jurisdictions, species conservation requires collaborative efforts to engage multiple stakeholders. The West Box Elder County Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) in northwestern Utah initially organized as a greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) local working group (LWG), evolved through a CRM process, to enhance local governance across jurisdictional boundaries by engaging a wider range of public and private partners in species conservation and community development. By completing landscape scale management and development projects, the CRM has benefitted wildlife and local ranchers and contributed to enhancing the social and economic well‐being of rural residents in the county. In 2019, to identify the operational mechanisms of governance that enabled the CRM to achieve long‐term sustainability while meeting community and species conservation needs, we interviewed 17 key stakeholders (8 private, 6 state, and 3 federal) who had been involved in both the LWG and CRM since their inception. Each interview addressed the CRM's origin, support and synergy, administration, communications, outcomes, and improvements. Qualitative analysis of responses revealed that 1) participation by representatives of federal and state government agencies was paramount for funding and program structure, 2) landowner involvement was necessary for long‐term stability and persistence, 3) intergroup communication has improved, and 4) trust of local landowners between state and federal agencies has been enhanced. However, respondents were concerned that the CRM governance process should be re‐evaluated periodically to mitigate stakeholder burnout and group cohesion deterioration. The re‐evaluation could help temper unrealistic expectations relative to sustaining momentum the CRM has achieved over the last decade and establish new goals to better address current conservation issues. Our results may be applicable by other rural communities who desire enhanced local governance to identify and address emerging community development needs and species conservation.

Public health impact of the U.S. Scenario Modeling Hub

Beginning in December 2020, the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub has provided quantitative scenario-based projections for cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, aggregated across up to nine modeling groups. Projections spanned multiple months into the future and provided timely information on potential impacts of epidemiological uncertainties and interventions. Projections results were shared with the public, public health partners, and the Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 Response Team. The projections provided insights on situational awareness and informed decision-making to mitigate COVID-19 disease burden (e.g., vaccination strategies). By aggregating projections from multiple modeling teams, the Scenario Modeling Hub provided rapidly synthesized information in times of great uncertainty and conveyed possible trajectories in the presence of emerging variants. Here we detail several use cases of these projections in public health practice and communication, including assessments of whether modeling results directly or indirectly informed public health communication or guidance. These include multiple examples where comparisons of projected COVID-19 disease outcomes under different vaccination scenarios were used to inform Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices recommendations. We also describe challenges and lessons learned during this highly beneficial collaboration.