Public–private partnerships as instruments to achieve sustainability-related objectives: the state of the art and a research agenda

The growing importance of public–private partnerships (PPPs) suggests the need to assess their contributions to sustainability-related objectives. With a systematic review of business and public administration literature, this study elaborates on whether empirical evidence indicates that PPPs are appropriate instruments to accomplish the sustainability objectives of governments and which success factors are crucial for this purpose. Results reveal that business research on PPPs rarely integrates sustainability concepts; findings pertaining to their contributions to sustainability remain inconclusive. However, various success factors show the potential of PPPs, if appropriately managed. These findings suggest an agenda for research on PPPs in the context of sustainability.