Conclusion

The research started with a very well-defined question: “Could E-governance become a development platform for Public-Private Partnerships?” The preliminary analysis of the exiting literature and of the overall situation in Denmark, showed that there was a critical need for an organized and centralized change in the activity of the public-private partnerships. This was confirmed also by the limited number of projects realized over the last years, even though the country has the right set of skills and the multiple areas demanding specialized attention. Considering these facts, it was clear that there is a big gap in the partnerships’ development, mainly due to the lack of a centralized platform, controlled top-to-bottom, with well-constructed frameworks and a legislation to be related to. Since the country’s governmental digital services are established in the top lists for performance, the idea of using them as a potential PPP platform appeared.

To do so, the research started with a wide literature review on both topics. This gave a good base of knowledge on each case individually, however, it also pointed on the limited studies in what concerns the possibility of combining the fields in a joint venture. The performed literature review includes as well the very important topic of GRC, which is critical for the successful operation any partnership. Moreover, because there are no real life models of governments using e-governance services for developing PPPs, the study had to rely on the data gathered through semi-structured interviews from several Danish specialists in the PPP domain.

The interviews had the purpose to reveal the current situation on PPPs in Denmark and specify the challenges they have to overpass. They also questioned the need for a development platform, and what would have to be its characteristic in order to make accessible PPPs performance. Therefore, the data was coded in terms of the most important concerns for the research study. The 8 major nodes, 4 out of which were further expanded in subcategories, were then analyzed in relation to existing literature. They were also analyzed in connection to the OECD report on E-Government practices in Denmark discussing strategies for enforcing the practices, and in connection to the project Gate 21, which used the partnerships in an innovative way.

The OECD Report was used because of its pivotal suggestions regarding improvements for the digital governmental services, which if implemented, would also improve the e-governance performance and in turn the partnerships’ efficiency. In the same time, the case of Gate 21 was used because of its innovational view on using public-private partnerships. The project intends, as well, to create a platform for its development. This idea could change the rules of the game in the sphere of PPP in Denmark.

After evaluating the data across the two scopes, a new model was created. The model includes a set of requirements that a potential PPP platform should fulfill in order to achieve the desired success. Therefore, it combines the specifications mentioned by the interviewees, the set of improvements proposed by the OECD, the Gate 21’s strong set of characteristics, a potential platform should choose, and the GRC specifications.

Finally, the research question was tested against the new model and the research got a positive result.

It should be mentioned that the set of requirements from the new model created could be used in very flexible ways. They do not have the intention to build boundaries, rather they set a wide range of possibilities for the PPPs. A potential platform could choose one of the stages and specialize or it could expand and deliver services that fulfill the whole set. The model states as well a set of requirements for potential projects, therefore it can be used also as a key factor when analyzing the potential of public-private partnerships.

It is important to understand that Public-Private Partnerships and E-Governance are two very sophisticated and very complex tools. Their activity relies on the professional engagement of many organizations, therefore, the incentive of combining the two in order to create innovation and progress is a very courageous move. Several interviewees mentioned the risks that could come together with the initiatives and they specified the attention that would have to be given to the creation of the platform, so it doesn’t become an overly complicated burden for the system. However, in the same time, it wasn’t hard to notice their concerns related to the lack of a platform and their enthusiasm at the idea of using an already established system, such as E-Governance, in order to deal with the problem.

It is very difficult to analyze a topic that is so “raw” because it rises many questions and dilemmas. The lack of previous attempts and a scarce literature on the topic makes it even harder, that is why, we regard it as a necessity for further investigations to take place. At this point, the study proves the critical necessity of a platform, which should be controlled by the government and have a