The Role and Impact of Public-Private Partnerships in Education

Enhancing the role of private sector partners
in education can lead to significant
improvements in education service delivery. However,
the realization of such benefits depends in great part on
the design of the partnership between the public and
private sectors, on the overall regulatory framework
of the country, and on the governmental capacity to
oversee and enforce its contracts with the private sector.
Under the right terms, private sector participation in
education can increase efficiency, choice, and access
to education services, particularly for students who
tend to fail in traditional education settings. Private
for-profit schools across the world are already serving
a vast range of users—from elite families to children
in poor communities. Through balanced publicprivate
partnerships (PPPs) in education, governments
can leverage the specialized skills offered by private
organizations as well as overcome operating restrictions
such as salary scales and work rules that limit public
sector responses.
The Role and Impact of Public-Private Partnerships in
Education presents a conceptualization of the issues
related to PPPs in education, a detailed review of
rigorous evaluations, and guidelines on how to create
successful PPPs. The book shows how this approach can
facilitate service delivery, lead to additional financing,
expand equitable access, and improve learning
outcomes. The book also discusses the best way to set
up these arrangements in practice. This information
will be of particular interest to policymakers, teachers,
researchers, and development practitioners.
Given the educational expansion
in recent years, it has become
increasingly clear that the public sector
alone cannot hope to deliver what is
needed for an efficient and equitable
school system. This book provides
excellent arguments in favor of publicprivate
partnerships as a solution to
the problem. It should be required
reading for those who, based on
ideology rather than evidence, are still
skeptical of private sector involvement
in education.
George Psacharopoulos, formerly of the
London School of Economics and the
World Bank
Children’s well-being and the
quality of education are not
always the main criteria for policy
decisions. This book will contribute
to a more responsible analysis of
new ways of organizing education.
Enrique Peñalosa, Urban Strategist and
former Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia
An authoritative summary of what
is known about the extent and
effectiveness of the current growth in
government fiscal support for privately
managed schools.
Paul E. Peterson, Shattuck Professor
of Government and Director, Program
on Education Policy and Governance,
Harvard University; Senior Fellow,
Hoover Institution; Editor in Chief,
Education Next
Delivered by The World Bank e-library to:
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IP : 192.86.100.35
Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:16:23
ISBN 978-0-8213-7866-3
SKU 17866
(c) The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank