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I am currently doing a fair bit of work analyzing and writing about public-private partnerships and their contribution to economic development. Partnerships are active in a wide range of economic development initiatives all over the globe, from health to education to small farmer productivity, and usually involve some level of private sector contribution to a project designed or supported by a public or multilateral entity. These are not the same kinds of infrastructure partnerships that blend huge public and private investment to build roads, dams, ports, and power stations. Instead, they tend to be smaller scale, are often community based, and sometimes go by the name of “social enterprise” or “sustainable business.” The idea is that private companies or foundations (sometimes connected with a company, or perhaps set up by billionaire, semi-retired tech entrepreneurs) invest in projects that promise to help impoverished people and communities, but are aligned with and sometimes can even further a company’s core business. In the midst of the current economic crisis, many people have assumed that this kind of investment, often considered merely a type of corporate philanthropy (wrongly so, in my view), will dry up. I think, though, that there are several compelling reasons why companies and foundations may find it in their enlightened self-interest to continue to make such investments, direct or in-kind, in spite of the current climate. [click to continue…]
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