The project investigates the conditions for the institutionalization and success of transnational public-private partnerships (PPPs) for the provision of public goods in areas of limited statehood. We examine PPPs in the areas of environment, health, and social rights, which strive to implement the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Transnational PPPs could be particularly relevant for areas of limited statehood, where many governments are not able to supply public goods sufficiently.

Our analysis is based on a comparative research design. Systematic case studies allow us to test hypotheses that we deduce from International Relations literature, in particular from theories of international cooperation and compliance theories. The project is divided in two parts:

In the first part of the project, we will map the degree of institutionalization of diff erent PPPs and examine why diff erent institutional designs of PPPs are structured the way they are. The second part of the project investigates under which conditions PPPs prove to be effective tools of governance. Here, we examine whether members comply with the rules of partnerships and/or whether PPPs attain their own objectives. One of our most important assumptions is that the institutional design of PPPs is a crucial factor for their success. In order to carry out the empirical research, we will conduct interviews with the various partners of each PPP and experts from the field. In the long run, the project aims at evaluating the contribution of PPPs to the effectiveness and legitimacy of global governance.