Public-private partnerships for e-government in developing countries: An early stage assessment framework

Area of Science:

• Information Systems
• Public Administration
• Development Economics

Background:

• Public-private partnerships (PPP) and e-government are vital for economic development, especially in emerging economies.
• A lack of consistent methods hinders the analysis of early-stage e-government portfolio planning.
• Existing evaluation criteria for PPP projects often overlook specific e-government contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the gap in early-stage planning methods for e-government portfolios utilizing public-private partnerships.
• To identify critical success factors and evaluation criteria for e-government PPP projects, particularly in developing countries.
• To introduce a novel framework, PPP4e-Gov, for assessing risk and value in e-government PPP initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a comprehensive literature review on evaluation criteria for PPP projects in early planning.
• Employed qualitative meta-synthesis to identify critical factors for PPP and e-government, focusing on developing nations.
• Developed the PPP4e-Gov framework incorporating a weighted scoring model for risk and value assessment.

Main Results:

• The PPP4e-Gov framework provides a structured approach to compare risk and value factors in e-government PPP projects.
• The weighted scoring model quantifies potential project risks and estimates the value generated by e-government initiatives.
• Case study involving ten practitioners in Costa Rica demonstrated the practical application and planning utility of PPP4e-Gov.

Conclusions:

• The PPP4e-Gov framework offers a robust tool for strategic planning and decision-making in e-government PPP projects.
• This framework supports emerging economies in optimizing resource allocation and maximizing the benefits of digital transformation through PPPs.
• The study highlights the importance of tailored evaluation methods for successful e-government implementation via public-private partnerships.