Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration

Chapter FourCross-Sector Partnerships and Public-Private Partnerships

Partnerships have existed in some form since the earliest forms of government. The Roman Empire developed partnerships in the form of toll roads to expand portions of its roadways. The US government authorized the use of privateers to harass the British Navy during the Revolutionary War. Much of the western US territory was developed through a combination of public-private partnerships, including the cross-continental railroad (Bain 1999). Today governments around the world develop intricate agreements with the private sector to develop physical infrastructure. International organizations such as the World Bank and the US Agency for International Development partner with ...