Factors influencing the choice of public-private partnership (ppp) for the provision of social services

The aim of this paper is to investigate some elements that might influence the choice of PPP as a managerial form for the provision of social services at the local government level, given the contribution of this type of services to social sustainability. To this end, we apply the GLS method to a sample consisting of all 116 Italian provincial capitals over a three years period (no. 2,088 observations). The analysis highlights that: 1) the financial commitment of the municipality is not correlated with the use of PPPs; 2) the rightwing and Star Movement political orientation of local government shows a negative correlation with the use of PPPs; 3) a larger population to be assisted does not lead to a higher use of PPPs. Finally, we suggest some desirable lines of future research some thoughts in support of public management.