Public-Private Partnership: Transaction Costs of Tendering
Abstract What are the transaction costs of participating in a public-private partnership (PPP) tender? Prior research indicate that there is a significant amount of resources required. However, few researchers seem to measure transaction costs directly. The purpose of this paper is therefore to fill this knowledge gap by presenting estimated transaction costs from both public and private actors. The underlying approach for this research was a case study of a new primary school in Norway. This case was chosen because of the expedient access to detailed information of the tendering process. The main source of data was documents and estimated figures obtained from public and private actors inv…
The emergence of lean construction in the Norwegian AEC industry
Lean construction has inspired the AEC industry globally over the last decades, and this manifests within a wide array of contexts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a narrative-based qualitative analysis of the emergence and impact of Lean construction on a national level, notably in the Norwegian AEC industry. The analysis is based on the concept of paradigm shift and on empirical knowledge in the form of narratives. The narratives of practitioners and researchers provide deep insights into how Lean Construction has inspired the Norwegian AEC industry and academia, respectively. The reflections indicate that the introduction of the Lean construction principles and tools in the Norwe…
Public-Private Partnerships: Agency Costs in the Privatization of Social Infrastructure Financing
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been subjected to considerable public debate. In particular, this debate has concerned PPP financing and its implications. Using insights from agency theory, this study aims to develop a theoretical understanding of PPP financing. The following research question is investigated: How does the privatization of financing decrease or increase agency costs in social infrastructure PPPs? A comparative case study consisting of four Norwegian PPP projects with different financial configurations is undertaken. The findings suggest that the private sector is risk averse, increasing the cost of capital. In addition, private financing does not seem to have the i…