The Faculty group forms focuses on the research area of new modes of public management and governance. Our first research aim within this area focuses on public private partnerships as a new mode of governance from various theoretical perspectives and against the background of diverse administrative systems and cultures. This comparative topic is of great relevance to the management of public and private organizations.

During the last decade, many countries have experienced an increasing interest in public-private partnerships, a new generation of management reforms seen to overcome the deficits of earlier waves of privatisation and marketisation. Due to increasing financial pressures and international initiatives such as the EU´s ‘Green Paper on Public Private Partnerships’, an enduring relevance of this new governance mode can be expected both for the public and the private sector. Despite all the euphoria, practicial experience is rather low in many European countries and the gap between announcement and reality of partnership as a new governance scheme seems to be substantial.

As a first, short term result, we will publish a case study book that provides comparative insights from various CEMS countries and can also be a basis for our block seminars and for Public Management curricula of the national institutions. As a further objective, we are planning to set up a joint application for a EU project within the 7 the framework.

Read up on the recent CEMS PhD Seminar that was held in St. Gallen entitled ‘Comparative Public Management and Governance: Theoretical Perspectives in an Age of Change’.