Navigating the landscape of public–private partnership research: a novel review using latent Dirichlet allocation

• Date: 05 June 2024
• Pages: 213-237
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-09-2023-0263
• Published date: 05 June 2024
• Subject Matter: Public policy & environmental management,Politics,Public adminstration & management
• Author: Abderahman Rejeb,Karim Rejeb,Andrea Appolloni,Suhaiza Zailani,Mohammad Iranmanesh

Navigating the landscape

of public–private partnership

research: a novel review using

latent Dirichlet allocation

Abderahman Rejeb

Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Karim Rejeb

Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, University of Carthage, Bizerte, Tunisia

Andrea Appolloni

Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Suhaiza Zailani

University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and

Mohammad Iranmanesh

La Trobe Business School, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Purpose –Given the growing significance of contemporary socio-economic and infrastructural conversations

of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), this research seeks to provide a general overview of the academic

landscape concerning PPP.

Design/methodology/approach –To offer a nuanced perspective, the study adopts the Latent Dirichlet

Allocation (LDA) methodology to meticulously analyse 3,057 journal articles, mapping out the thematic

contours within the PPP domain.

Findings –The analysis highlights PPP’s pivotal role in harmonising public policy goals with private sector

agility, notably in areas like disaster-ready sustainable infrastructure and addressing rapid urbanisation

challenges. The emphasis within the literature on financial, risk, and performance aspects accentuates the

complexities inherent in financing PPP and the critical need for practical evaluation tools. An emerging focus

on healthcare within PPP indicates potential for more insightful research, especially amid ongoing global

health crises.

Originality/value –This study pioneers the application of LDA for an all-encompassing examinationof PPP-

related academic works, presenting unique theoretical and practical insights into the diverse facets of PPP.

Keywords Public-private partnership, Sustainability, Healthcare, Urbanisation, Latent Dirichlet allocation

Paper type Original article

1. Introduction

Recently, public-private partnerships (PPP) have emerged as instrumental catalysts in

sculpting modern societies, propelling economic advancement (Ahmadabadi and Heravi,

2019;Hodge and Greve, 2007), driving innovation processes (Hoppe and Schmitz, 2013;

Shahbaz et al., 2020), and reinforcing social welfare systems (Boardman and Vining, 2012;

International

Journal of Public

Sector

Management

213

© Abderahman Rejeb, Karim Rejeb, Andrea Appolloni, Suhaiza Zailani and Mohammad Iranmanesh.

Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons

Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works

of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the

original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.

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The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/0951-3558.htm

Received 5 September 2023

Revised 30 November 2023

31 January 2024

Accepted 3 February 2024

International Journal of Public

Sector Management

Vol. 38 No. 2, 2025

pp. 213-237

Emerald Publishing Limited

0951-3558

DOI 10.1108/IJPSM-09-2023-0263

Busom and Fern

andez-Ribas, 2008). The realm of PPP projects has recently seen an

escalating interest among researchers, resulting in a significant volume of academic literature

including various review papers (Liu et al., 2014). For example, they delve into performance

metrics within PPP, contending that traditional post-project assessments fall short of

adequately gauging the efficacy of PPP projects. They advocate for a paradigm shift towards

an evaluation grounded in procedural dynamics. In one distinct study, Ma et al. (2019) offer a

holistic exploration of cutting-edge research on PPP. Their approach, which intertwines

scientometric analysis with a systematic review, delves into predominant challenges and

points toward prospective research avenues in PPP. They underscore an observed deficiency

in structured methodologies to encapsulate research themes and broach novel trajectories,

pointing out an imminent need for enhanced exploration of innovation, sustainability, and

challenges inherent to PPP deployments.

From a more regional perspective, Pu et al. (2021) engage in rigorous bibliometric scrutiny

and meta-analytic investigation of PPP-focused scholarly pieces from China. Their analysis

suggests a pronounced inclination tow ards micro-level examinations, with anc illary

emphasis on issues linked to the procurement phase. On the other hand, Ullah et al. (2016)

embark on a journey to dissect key determinants that steer the decision-making trajectory

within PPP concessions. Their research showcases China and the USA as leading

contributors to PPP-centric academic research. An intriguing element of their work is

synthesising a decision-making blueprint derived from 63 discerned factors influencing PPP

concessions; notably, a minor segment (8%) of these factors holds paramount significance,

while a fifth (21%) carries nuanced importance in decision-oriented contexts. Navigating the

intersection of PPP and infrastructure resilience, Ampratwum et al. (2022) elucidate the

applicability of PPP in fortifying critical infrastructure resilience (CIR). Their study

underscores the primary objectives underpinning PPP within the CIR framework—from

crafting resilience blueprints and executing risk assessments to demarcating critical

infrastructure. Concurrently, the authors spotlight the pivotal role of synergistic endeavours

between state apparatuses and private infrastructure agencies in augmenting the robustness

of essential infrastructure.

While previous systematic literature reviews and bibliometric analyses have significantly

advanced our comprehension of the PPP arena, their inherent limitations must be addressed.

These traditional forms of synthesis tend to impose a linear progression on complex subjects,

potentially glossing over the multifaceted structure of the PPP field. This oversimplification

risks omitting subtle yet critical insig hts and emerging trends vital for a holist ic

understanding (Polonioli, 2020;Rejeb et al., 2021). Similarly, while bibliometric analyses

offer valuable insights into scholarly impact and trends, they may not fully capture

individual studies’nuanced context and depth (Lewis et al., 2018). These methods, albeit

rigorous, struggle to keep pace with the swiftly evolving and inherently multidisciplinary

nature of PPP.

In response to the limitations of traditional analyses in capturing the complexities of PPP

research, this study adopts a mixed-method approach combining Latent Dirichlet Allocation

(LDA) and bibliometrics. LDA stands out as a sophisticated analytical tool that complements

and extends the capabilities of systematic reviews and bibliometric analyses (Rejeb et al.,

2023c). It allows for a more dynamic, granular, and contextually-nuanced investigation of

PPP. This method leverages probabilistic modelling to identify latent topics within large text

corpora, providing a broad thematic mapping that reveals underlying patterns and trends

that are not immediately apparent through traditional methods (Moro et al., 2015). The

application of LDA in PPP research is particularly beneficial, given the field’s

interdisciplinary and dynamic nature. It distills complex information into discernible

themes and facilitates a more strategic understanding of the sector’s evolution, challenges,

and future directions.

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