Accountability in Public-private Partnerships

There has always been some measure of interaction and cooperation between organizations from multiple sectors (ie., public, private, and nonprofit). This interaction has nonetheless intensified in recent years. The use of various forms of partnerships that bring together organizations from different sectors (ie., public, private, and non-profit) has become more widespread than ever before. Public- private partnerships have emerged as a new tool or method of addressing important societal concerns and delivering services through the collaborative efforts and thus the combined strengths of organizations and individuals from multiple sectors. Various forms of this new multi-sectoral institutional arrangement have been utilized in such diverse issue areas as the environment (e.g., Long and Arnold, 1995), economic development (e.g., Bennett and Krebs, 1991), urban renewal (e.g., McNeil, 1995), health care (e.g., Alexander, Comfort, and Weiner, 1998), human services (e.g., Mandell, 1994), and education (e.g., Cuban, 1983; Mann, 1984; National Alliance of Business, 1989; Solomon, 1991).