Leading from Behind in Public-Private Partnerships?: An Assessment of European Engagement with the Private Sector in Development

by Heather A. Conley, Uttara Dukkipati

This report studies the usage of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in international development among six European nations―the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Ireland, and Norway. Although all face similar financial constraints and have similar histories as generous aid donors, the six countries’ approaches to PPPs vary greatly. The authors examine which countries use PPPs most effectively in their development strategies and make recommendations about how other countries can improve their usage.

20 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2012

About the author

Heather A. Conley is senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic and director of the Europe Program at CSIS. Prior to joining CSIS as a senior fellow and director for Europe in 2009, Conley served four years as executive director of the Office of the Chairman of the Board at the American National Red Cross. From 2001 to 2005, she was deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs with responsibilities for U.S. bilateral relations with the countries of Northern and Central Europe. From 1994 to 2001, she was a senior associate with an international consulting firm led by former U.S. deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage. Ms. Conley began her career in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She was selected to serve as special assistant to the coordinator of U.S. assistance to the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, and she has received two State Department Meritorious Honor Awards. Ms. Conley is frequently featured as a foreign policy analyst and Europe expert on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, and PBS, among other prominent media outlets. She received her B.A. in international studies from West Virginia Wesleyan College and her M.A. in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).