• Public-private linkages

Public-private linkages

This is the report from a conference which responded to the growing need for best practice guidance on building dialogue between the public and private sectors (PPD) as a way to encouarge private sector development in states with poor investment climates. The conference (the International Workshop on Public-Private Dialogue) comprised a total of 24 case study presentations by practitioners followed by question-and-answer sessions, plenary presentations on the subjects of monitoring and evaluation in PPD and strengthening business membership organizations, and a plenary discussion on future directions for public-private dialogue.

The workshop developed eight principles for good practice:

• mandate and institutional alignment: PPD should be aligned with existing institutions to maximise the institutional potential and minimise friction
• PPD’s structure should be manageable while flexible, enable participation to be both balanced and effective, and reflect the local private sector context
• it is difficult to sustain dialogue without champions from both the public and private sectors, who invest in the process and drive it forward
• a facilitator who commands the respect of stakeholders can greatly improve the prospects of PPD
• outputs can take the shape of structure and process outputs, analytical outputs or recommendations. All should contribute to agreed private sector development outcomes
• enabling communication of a shared vision and understanding through the development of a common language is essential for building trust among stakeholders
• monitoring and evaluation is an effective tool to manage the public private dialogue process and to demonstrate its purpose and performance
• public-private dialogue is desirable at all levels of decision-making down to the most local possible level, especially as this is likely to be more practically capable of involving microentrepreneurs, SMEs and other local stakeholders
• sector-specific or issue-specific public-private dialogues should be encouraged because they provide more focus, greater incentive to collaborate, and more opportunity for action
• broad and inclusive public-private dialogue can effectively represent and promote national and regional interests of both public and private actors in international negotiations and international dialogue processes
• public-private dialogue is particularly valuable in post-conflict and crisis environments (including post-natural disaster) to consolidate peace and rebuild the economy through private sector development
• public-private dialogue initiatives can benefi t from the input and support of donors (development partners) when their role is determined by the local context, demand driven, and based on partnership, coordination and additionality

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