Unveiling the shades of partnerships for the energy transition and sustainable development: Connecting public–private partnerships and emerging hybrid schemes

Abstract

The transition to cleaner energy technologies and sustainable development requires the commitment and collaboration of the public and private sectors. Among such collaborations, public–private partnership (PPP) refers to the convergence and complementarity between public and private actors and represents an organizational arrangement for addressing strategic sustainability challenges such as reducing carbon emissions and plays a relevant role in transforming the sector after energy reforms. The rigidity of PPP schemes introduces certain limitations in adapting to the energy transition and sustainability needs. As a result, several hybrid schemes have emerged from PPPs, which are focal points in this paper. This article aims to contrast PPPs with emerging hybrid PPPs to facilitate their understanding. It contributes to the academic dialog on recognizing the relevance of emerging forms of collaboration in tackling contemporary issues. The review's primary outcome is a framework of PPPs and hybrid PPPs and the critical challenges for advancing the energy transition and sustainable development. The contributions from this study may help policymakers to design suitable tools for incorporating hybrid PPPs in climate change policies and institutional frameworks. The findings suggest developing mechanisms through which PPPs and hybrid PPPs foster cleaner technologies, thus improving energy efficiency and access and strengthening energy security strategies. Further work is needed to address key research issues related to (i) mechanisms for the institutional alignment of hybrid PPPs, (ii) assuring reciprocity and commitment, (iii) knowledge management, and (iv) capacity‐building.

Categories of actors involved in tree planting by multinational corporations based in France, Switzerland and the UK

“…Large multinational corporations, but also smaller ones, public entities and individual citizens, are increasingly financing tree planting, with major players listed on the Global Fortune 500 announcing significant tree planting targets (many new targets are now being set in billions or trillions of trees!). Similarly to other sectors (e.g., the energy sector – see Pinilla‐De La Cruz et al, 2022), the partnerships in this area may be characterised by their complexity and multi‐tiered nature. Exposing the various actors involved in the chain between corporations investing in tree planting and those actually carrying out the operations is a first step to improve impact.…”

Economic integration of Germany with EU through Effective implementation of Public Private Partnership

“…The conclusion of such agreements allows significant breakthroughs in many directions, of which healthcare, education, infrastructure, and transportation take place. According to Pinilla-De La Cruz et al (2022) this has induced structural changes in both society and the economy, demonstrating the transformative potential of PPPs. The latter can well be in line with the purposes of the Lisbon Strategy in stimulating more creative thinking and increasing competitiveness within the knowledge industry, where companies and governments of Europe pulled their forces together to achieve this (Pires et al, 2020).…”