| Since the 1980s governments began implementing an increasing number of policies and programs by contracting with third parties such as firms and nonprofit organizations. This led academics and practitioners to focus on governance than on government itself (Kettl, 2002). However, the contracting environment has substantially changed since the 1980s. According to Cameiro (2001), societies continually face complex problems. However, the analytical tools used to tackle problems of governance are outmoded. The complex nature of problems has forced government agencies to gradually move towards alliance like partnerships (Austin, 2000; Warner and Sullivan, 2004; Selsky and Parker, 2005). The purpose of such partnerships is to solve problems through interdependence, than through dependence. Today this phenomenon is best embodied in public private partnerships (PPPs).;PPPs involve close interaction between organizations from two sectors of the economy. Such close interaction between two organizations from different sectors of the economy creates a new set of challenges for managers of these organizations. Research that addresses these challenges is likely to be relevant to both practitioners and scholars. This dissertation is a step in this direction. It represents a radical change in conceptualizing PPPs.;It argues that relationship dynamics between employees of the partner organizations has a considerable influence on the PPP's stability and its outcome. This perspective of studying organizational dynamics is referred to as the relational or behavioral perspective (Styles, Patterson and Ahmed, 2008). In Madhok's (2006) words, adopting the relational perspective represents a paradigm shift in emphasis "from ownership to relationship, from governance form to processes, from hierarchical governance mechanisms to more horizontal relationship management mechanisms and from a static and structural approach to one that is more dynamic and longitudinal.";PPP outcomes are measured in terms of performance and process outcomes. Triangulation, using both quantitative analyses and qualitative data supports the notion that relationship dynamics within the PPP influences its outcome. Contributions, limitations and future directions are discussed. |
