Alternate Title

Public-private partnerships in public land management

Advisor(s)

Christopher J. (Christopher John) Bosso (1956-)

Contributor(s)

John Portz (1953-), Karl Haglund

Date of Award

2010

Date Accepted

1-2010

Degree Grantor

Northeastern University

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department or Academic Unit

College of Arts and Sciences. Department of Political Science.

Keywords

environmental policy, public administration, public parks, public policy, public-private partnerships

Subject Categories

Public-private sector cooperation--Case studies, Parks--Management, Public lands

Disciplines

Political Science

Abstract

One of the enduring questions that have vexed public officials and private individuals in the United States as long as the country has existed concerns the way in which communities provide services to citizens, especially when those services are costly. What is the proper role of government in providing these services? A variety of this problem has plagued US parks officials and other managers of public land for as long as there has been land to manage. Should the government manage public land? If so, what activities should managers allow to take place there? How can the various uses of public parks be balanced against one another in a way that ensures the health and availability of this resource to future generations? Moreover, how can public managers finance these uses, given the declining availability of public funds? In recent years, public land managers have increasingly turned to the private sector to aid in the administration and management of public parks. The major aim of this study is to discover the conditions under which public-private partnerships for public land, public parks in particular, are effective in aiding in the provision of public recreation opportunities. This study considers partnerships between public land managers and the private sector in terms of their consistency with the broader aims of public land management. The effectiveness of public-private partnerships in managing public parks is assessed at the start-up, growth, and mature/institutionalized stages of partnership development. Partnership success is found to be contingent upon the availability of resources, both at the start-up and growth stages of development, the organizational environment in which the partnership operates, partner characteristics, the relationships between partners, and characteristics of the partnership organization.

Document Type

Dissertation

Rights Holder

Emily Mae Phillips Neal


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