Dissecting the Destruction of Public Value in Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs)

This chapter explores the relationship between accountability in public value crises and public value creation in the context of inter-organisational collaboration. This chapter presents a comparative study of four international cases (China, France, Lebanon, and Madagascar) using a qualitative methodology. The aim is twofold: first, to explore the accountability relationships between the different actors and, second, to examine the impact of crises on public value creation. This chapter shows that, contrary to expectations, the occurrence of a public value crisis can lead to a net creation of public value if certain conditions of accountability and mediation are met. In terms of implications for practice, the importance of external mediation in rebalancing power dynamics in the aftermath of a crisis is highlighted.