A Comparative Study of Public-Private Partnerships Stakeholder Management from New Zealand and Malaysia

Abstract

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have received considerable attention due to their ability to enhance public infrastructure services through collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors under a single project organisation. Due to the complex nature and the diverse interests and expectations of stakeholders, the success of PPP is heavily reliant on effective stakeholder management. Whilst stakeholder issues cannot be prevented, it can be lessened through effective stakeholder management. However, stakeholder management was rather an ad hoc approach, which often uncoordinated. Additionally, most frameworks available are developed based on conventional construction projects; as a result, these frameworks failed to capture the intricacy of PPP. Accordingly, this study aims to address the gap in PPP knowledge by conducting an in-depth investigation into the experiences of PPP practitioners in New Zealand and Malaysia to uncover the stakeholder management practices and develop a comprehensive stakeholder management framework for PPP projects. The present study adopts an interpretivist theoretical perspective and a qualitative approach, which aligns with the tenets of interpretivism philosophy. As PPP becomes an international concept, it is essential to examine it from the perspective of various jurisdictions. Several studies have demonstrated the value of cross-country analyses in expanding the international best practices for PPP. The study employs semi-structured interviews with PPP practitioners from both New Zealand and Malaysia to understand the stakeholder management practices and address stakeholder management issues. Based on the lived experiences of PPP practitioners in New Zealand and Malaysia, it is apparent that a comprehensive stakeholder management framework is essential for the success of PPP projects. Through consolidation of the findings from the three stakeholder management research areas (stakeholder identification, stakeholder attitudes and stakeholder relationships) and the understanding of stakeholder management practices, this present study has developed a systematic stakeholder management framework for PPP. The framework has been validated by several PPP practitioners from New Zealand and Malaysia with more than ten years of PPP experience. They have confirmed the framework’s comprehensive nature and importance in managing diverse stakeholders in PPP. Overall, this study makes significant empirical contributions to the PPP stakeholder management research field and enriches the literature on successful PPP implementation strategies.