PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THE CASE OF ROMANIA. CONCEPT AND MANAGEMENT.

Abstract

The pub lic administration has a major role in partnerships establishing and operating with different community actors aiming at solving specific community problems. In the process of identifying and solving the community problems the actions of the non-governmental organisations are considered as "alternatives" to the solutions of the public administration. The advantages of an on-going collaboration between non-governmental organisations, as relevant agents in the social economy, and the public authorities aiming at solving the community problems were identified and aknowledged by both sides representatives. The access to complementary resources, and implicitly, an increase in the range of actions of the partners beyond mathematical calculus, an increase in the credibility and public image of the partners, as well as the social benefit corollary to positive models established within the community, are only a few of the arguments. The question raised is why this type of a more consistent approach is not used in the current practices of solving the community issues in Romania. The following causes should be considered in response to this question: the lack of an associative culture at the level of all potential partners, the access to resources is by far too limited on behalf of any of the two parts involved, a neutral, thus, unrestrictive legislative environment, but at the same time, unstimulating towards an associative action, i.e. limited management capacities on both sides. From this perspectives, this paper aims at clarifying the partnership concept (definition, typology), the public-private partnership role in solving community problems and the management issues related: partners identification, negociation of the cooperation protocol, decision making process and resource management, assesment, etc.Classification-JEL: L33, L38partnership, public administration, non-governmental organizations, public-private partnership, partnership management