EMERGENCE OF PRIVATE SECTOR IN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS AND ANALYSIS OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STAKEHOLDER NETWORK CENTRALITY AND PROJECT PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Infrastructure and construction projects are large, complex, and arduous ventures involving various actors or stakeholders. However, taking decisions based on the individual attributes of stakeholders is insufficient. The emergence of the private sector in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects reveal the need to consider how multiple stakeholders in an inter-reliant network can impact the project’s performance. This research uses stakeholder and social network theories, and analyzes the centrality measures – total-degree, betweenness, closeness – of the key public and private entities against two project performance criteria: cost and schedule. Findings reveal that private sector becomes significantly more central in PPP projects, and there is a statistically significant correlation between private sector centrality measures and project schedule performance. In addition, the research reveals that the number of public agencies or sponsors involved in the project also plays a significant role in determining project performance