A comprehensive approach towards transparency: case study on highway development through Public Private Partnership (PPP) in India

Abstract

Transparency has become a buzzword in contemporary planning literature. However, it is not a well-delimited concept. The term is defined differently based on different fundamental philosophical positions. Public–private partnerships in infrastructure development are claimed to offer a more transparent and accountable planning process than the traditional model. This study argues that transparency in infrastructure-PPPs is narrowly defined. There are two reasons for such an argument. Firstly, there is no comprehensive literature on the overall process of infrastructure development through PPP, and existing studies on transparency focus narrowly on specific phases. Secondly, transparency has different roles to play in different phases of development. There are hardly any studies that investigate transparency in various phases throughout the project cycle. As opposed to restricted transparency advocated by theories on PPP, this study argues that transparency should be maintained throughout the project cycle in order to ensure that public interests are protected in public decision-making. A theoretical framework is developed to investigate transparency both in depth and breadth, beyond mere ‘disclosure of information’. In depth, transparency is explored in terms of its mechanisms, its stated and bigger purposes, and barriers to it. Here, theory of transparency is connected to theory of procedural justice to emphasise the importance of achieving transparency in a democratic society. In breadth, this framework with depth of transparency is investigated in three major phases in the project cycle. These phases are identified significant in terms of transparency.