Title: Public private partnerships: governance for improving publicness and legitimacy

Authors: Alex Nduhura; Muhiya Tshombe Lukamba; Thekiso Molokwane; Innocent Nuwagaba; John Paul Settumba; Francis Can; Alexis Ndabarushimana

Addresses: Department of Procurement Logistics and Marketing, School of Business and Marketing, Uganda Management Institute, P.O. Box 20131 Plot 44-52 Jinja Road, Kampala, Uganda ' Faculty of Humanities, School of Government Studies, North West University, P.O. Box 1174 Vaal Triangle Campus, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa ' University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa ' Eastern and Southern Management Institute (ESAMI), Arusha, Tanzania ' Department of Procurement Logistics and Marketing, School of Business and Marketing, Uganda Management Institute, P.O. Box 20131 Plot 44-52 Jinja Road, Kampala, Uganda ' Department of Procurement Logistics and Marketing, School of Business and Marketing, Uganda Management Institute, P.O. Box 20131 Plot 44-52 Jinja Road, Kampala, Uganda ' Inter University Council of East Africa, Kampala, Uganda

Abstract: Public private partnerships have become a popular tool for improving public sector performance. Adopted as a business, governance, procurement, financing and reformist instrument, PPPs are now part of the policy instruments that governments have prioritised for their social and economic development. Existing studies on PPPs indicate that while most of PPP aspects have been studied, matters of publicness and legitimacy of PPPs have deficiently been studied yet dissent for PPPs continues to rise. A review of literature and using a governance lens, the study confirms that PPPs have been confronted with a high scale of discernment. The outcome of this study is relevant since it provides practical and policy implications for improving governance of PPPs to deliver public interest.

Keywords: public private partnerships; PPPs; publicness; legitimacy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLAP.2026.155216

International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2026 Vol.12 No.3, pp.298 - 318

Received: 26 Oct 2021
Accepted: 02 May 2022
Published online: 29 Jul 2026 *

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