Regulating Public-Private Partnerships: An equity perspective

• In Event: Regulating non-state actors in education: What role for Public Private Partnerships?

Proposal

The role of governance and regulation of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for the provision of basic education has emerged as a global debate in the past few years. Although in some contexts education PPPs have been relatively effective in expanding access to education, the equity impact of these policies appears to be highly problematic. A number of studies have found that the market dynamics triggered by PPPs are likely to amplify educational inequalities, exacerbate school segregation dynamics and give rise to social stratification between public and private schools (Baum, 2017; Waslander, 2010; Verger et al., 2020). However, and since the equity impact of PPPs appears to vary greatly across different contexts, a growing consensus has emerged within policy and academic circles that around the idea that the ultimate impact of these programs depends largely on the specifics of their policy design and regulation (Boeskens, 2016; Jabbar et al., 2019). Also in the light of the mounting body of evidence on the equity impact of PPPs, a range of international agencies (including some of the early proponents of these policies) have called for the adoption of regulatory reforms that could contribute to balance the supposed positive effects of PPPs and better outcomes in terms of equity (e.g., OECD, 2017; World Bank, 2018).

However, although the prominence acquired by regulatory frameworks in the debate around PPPs and equity, the different policy options and instruments available for such purposes have not been systematically examined. Building on a comparative approach, the aim of this paper is to: 1) determine the regulatory and accountability dimensions involved in the governance of PPPs for education provision; and 2) identify the main regulatory policy options available for each one of these dimensions to and inhibit the more problematic impact of PPPs in terms of equity. The evidence presented draws on a systematic review of the available academic literature and policy documents (n=336) addressing the relationship between PPPs regulatory frameworks and equity in education systems with a significant presence of PPP schools.

The analysis of the literature has allowed us to identify five regulatory dimensions that have the potential to affect the equity outcomes of PPPs: 1) Authorization of providers; 2) Funding; 3) School choice and admissions; 4) Autonomy, quality assurance and accountability; and 5) Workforce. For each of these dimensions, a set of policy principles and options has been identified as holding the potential to address the social mechanisms producing a negative impact on equity. The different policy options are examined in relation to the evidence available on their effectiveness, as well as the barriers, implementation problems and resistance they might face in different economic and institutional contexts. On the basis of these findings, the presentation reflects on the opportunities and limits of regulatory reforms to address negative effects on equity of PPPs, as well as on the need to factor in the political, administrative and social costs of such regulatory efforts when assessing the appropriateness, effectiveness and added value of this policy approach.

Authors

• Adrian Zancajo, University of Glasgow

• Clara Fontdevila, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

• Antoni Verger, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona