Ezra's Round Table/Systems Seminar: Eoin Reeves (Univ. of Limerick) - Public-Private Partnerships in Ireland – A Policy for All Seasons

Friday, January 31, 2014 at 12:00pm Frank H. T. Rhodes Hall, 253 Ezra's Round Table/Systems Seminar: Eoin Reeves (Univ. of Limerick) - Public-Private Partnerships in Ireland – A Policy for All Seasons In 1999, Ireland launched its first program of public-private partnerships (PPP). In the interim period, PPP has delivered over €6 billion of investment in infrastructure and public services in sectors such as transport, health, education and water services. This presentation traces the origins of the country’s engagement with PPP and the details of procurement under PPP to date. It discusses the objectives generally attributed to PPP and assesses the extent to which these objectives have been met in the Irish case. It concludes that there is no strong evidence to suggest that PPP has delivered better value for money for taxpayers. PPP has been used to keep capital investment ‘off-balance sheet’ but what is bought now must be paid for later so the net exchequer position is not necessarily improved. The presentation reviews some important governance issues around PPP and highlights significant shortcomings in terms of the accountability and the overall legitimacy of the Irish PPP model. The presentation concludes by outlining the plans for expanding PPP procurement in Ireland in response to the domestic economic crisis and ‘bailout’ from the ‘Troika’ (IMF/European Commission/ECB).