A performance model for Public-Private Partnerships: the authorized economic operator as an example

Abstract

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have become known as one of the alternatives for increasing the effectiveness of border controls. Excessive controls and the lack of cooperation can hinder trade in global operations. On the other hand, Trade Facilitation (TF) is a response to the observed growth in international supply chain operations over the last few years. Since TF involves a relationship between public and private agents, alternatives to solutions within the field of international trade fall into these types of partnerships. However, simply establishing a relation between both agents does not ensure that all of the benefits of TF will be reached. The objective of this research is to propose a theoretical model, one that can indicate which factors have the most influence over TF-oriented PPPs. The relationship between each variable and the performance of a partnership were tested. To validate the proposed model, we used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings show which factors influence the success of TF-oriented PPPs, using the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) as an example. The data were gathered both at the national and international levels, focusing on professionals from the private and public sectors who either work with TF within their regular functions or have expertise on the subject. The results show that the factors that have the most influence over the performance of TF-oriented PPPs are, in order, the "micro-environment", the "abilities of parties" and the "macro-environment". Further PPPs that focus on TF may consider this model for implementation.