PUBPOL 5174

Navigating Public-Private Partnerships for Executives

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are increasingly being used as strategies to address significant public policy challenges, particularly in the developing world. This summer Executive Master of Public Administration residential intensive course will examine how governments are partnering with for-profit and nonprofit organizations, shaping public policy, redefining traditional methods of public administration, and solving some of the world's most intractable problems. The course addresses the multiple contexts in which public-private partnerships have been utilized, including transportation, infrastructure, education, smart cities, and public health. Here, we will look at whether multi-stakeholder partnerships are an effective means to relieve financial burdens on states and communities, when it is most appropriate for public entities to utilize private sector expertise, and when shared risk makes fiscal sense for both the public and private sectors. Discussions will also emphasize management challenges within multi-stakeholder partnerships and their impact on performance in the delivery of public services.

Enrollment Priority Enrollment limited to: Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) students.

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SU, 2024SU, 2023SU, 2022SU

Learning Outcomes

• Students will determine and identify contexts in which Public and Private partnerships in collaborative governance regimes are most likely to achieve their intended goals.
• Students will examine how governments are partnering with for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and shaping public policy, redefining traditional methods of public administration.
• Students will analyze the benefits, challenges, and risks when entering into strategic shared-value PPPs involving the public, for-profit, and non-profit sectors.

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