Public–private partnership meets corporate social responsibility—the case of H-JUMP school

Abstract

This paper examines tripartite public–private partnerships (PPPs), a new form of partnership between the government, business, and nonprofit sectors. Partly funded by for-profit firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) budgets, this approach reduces a government’s costs for providing a public service. Based on a case study of the H-JUMP school, a recently-formed tripartite PPP in South Korea, the authors explore the motives of each partner organization, the key factors in making the partnership sustainable, and the partnership’s social value implications.

Keywords:

• Collaborative governance
• corporate social responsibility
• education
• non-profit sector
• public–private partnerships

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2017S1A3A2067636).

IMPACT

This study has examined tripartite PPPs—partnerships between government, business, and nonprofit sectors. A tripartite partnership allows the government, the firm, and the NPO to focus on their particular advantages, leading to productivity gains. Tripartite partnerships have the potential to create more public value than traditional public–private collaborations. Trust between partners and a sense of ‘equal partnership’ are critical in making a tripartite PPP sustainable, as both significantly reduce bargaining costs when forming and operating the partnership.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sounman Hong

Sounman Hong is Underwood Distinguished Professor at Yonsei University, South Korea.

Taek Kyu Kim

Taek Kyu Kim is a graduate student at Yonsei University, South Korea.