A framework of public engagement for PPP projects in China

Abstract

Boosting the volume of construction work by increasing the public capital expenditure is one of the most effective measures to stimulate the economy of a country and thus Public Private Partnerships (PPP) schemes are expected to be more widely used by various governments around the world under the current financial crisis. Despite that, pushing a huge volume of mega construction projects especially those with the PPP approach ahead within a short period of time might be at the price of the society if we fail to take into account the opinions of the general public. Therefore, the opinions of the general public should be thoroughly collected through the process of public engagement. However, as shown in the guidelines of some advanced countries, the process of public engagement is not only costly but lengthy. Other constituencies might have a simple engagement process, but their effectiveness is questionable. The aim of this paper is to capture lessons on public engagement for PPP projects from some developed countries so that an innovative framework of public engagement can be formulated for developing countries with little experience in carrying out public consultation such as China. The paper begins by introducing the status quo of public engagement for PPP projects in both countries and regions which have ample experience in public consultation (e.g. Canada) and those which are still at their infancy stage (e.g. Mainland China and Hong Kong). Then, a framework of public engagement for PPP projects is drawn up which should hopefully help formalise the process and improve the success of PPP schemes in developing or even developed countries.