Institutionalising Digital Public-Private Partnerships: Long-Term Governance Models and Policy Alignment

Vol. 1 | Iss. 1 | September 2025 Institutionalising Digital PublicPrivate Partnerships: Long-Term Governance Models and Policy Alignment Julian Walter Maurer Reflections & Working Paper Series ✺ CINOVUM Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1 | No. 2 | Sept. 2025 ✺ CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Reflections and Working Paper Series Vol. 1 (2025) | No. 2 Editor Julian W. Maurer c/o University of Applied Sciences Burgenland Thomas-A.-Edison-Str. 2, 7000 Eisenstadt, Austria E-Mail: [email protected] Webseite: https://cinovum.info CINOVUM is published in Zenodo, the open-access repository created by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in partnership with OpenAIRE, in accordance with the principles of Open Science and the longterm accessibility of academic knowledge. Zenodo is funded by CERN, OpenAIRE, and the European Commission. ISSN 3061-1121 Responsible for content pursuant to § 18 MStV (Germany) resp. § 24 MedienG (Austria) Julian W. Maurer The Series CINOVUM is an academic reflections and working paper series initiated in 2025. It is dedicated to in-depth engagement with contemporary challenges in public management, digital transformation, administrative modernization, and the strategic and legal governance of public sector organizations. The series brings together practice-oriented analyses, theoretical insights, and conceptual reflections. The name CINOVUM is derived from a fusion of civitas (Latin for polity or community) and novum (Latin for the new). It reflects the guiding vision of the series: to critically explore and help shape the renewal of public sector thinking and action in the face of complex societal transformations. Rather than treating innovation as a purely technological phenomenon, CINOVUM understands public sector innovation as a strategic, institutional, and normative process—a rethinking of governance, legality, participation, and organizational capability in the digital era. The series provides a platform for theoretically grounded, independently authored contributions that serve the early-stage academic discourse and are permanently citable. It aims to foster intellectual experimentation, policy-relevant reflection, and cross-disciplinary dialogue within and beyond the field of public sector studies. License © 2025 CINOVUM / Julian W. Maurer Published Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ How to Cite Maurer, J. W. (2025). Institutionalising Digital Public-Private Partnerships: Long-Term Governance Models and Policy Alignment. CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation, Vol. 1, No. 2. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613. First Publication September 2025, Online ✺ CINOVUM Reflections on Public Management and Innovation 1 CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613 ISSN: 3061-1121 Institutionalising Digital Public-Private Partnerships: Long-Term Governance Models and Policy Alignment Julian Walter Maurer 1 1 University of Applied Sciences Burgenland, Thomas-A.-Edison-Str. 2, 7000 Eisenstadt, Austria E-Mail: [email protected] ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7691-5352 Abstract Digital Public-Private Partnerships (DPPPs) have the potential to become central components of sustainable governance, with an impact that extends far beyond project-based collaborations. While traditional PPPs were usually limited in time and focused on specific construction or operational tasks, digitalisation opens up the possibility and necessity of institutionalising hybrid structures as long-term platform infrastructures. The central question is how DPPPs can be designed to enable scalability, standardisation and reuse not only technically but also institutionally. This paper argues that this requires the comprehensive implementation of a public-private shared value logic that combines economic, social, institutional and existential dimensions, thus going beyond the traditional shared value approach. It also discusses possible governance models such as federated platforms, public data trusts and multi-layered control architectures designed for durability, legitimacy and adaptability. By linking DPPPs to European strategies, national digital programmes and mission-oriented policies, it becomes clear that they can only be effective if they are embedded in political and regulatory frameworks. Resilience and reflexivity appear to be indispensable qualities for overcoming crises and institutionalising learning processes. Keywords Digital Public-Private Partnerships · Governance · Platform Infrastructures · Policy Alignment · Shared Value Logic 2 CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613 ISSN: 3061-1121 1 Introduction Digitale Public-Private Partnerships (DPPPs) have recently emerged as a new form of cooperation between government institutions and private actors that goes far beyond the logic of traditional project models. While the first discussions on DPPPs (Maurer, 2025) focused on the conceptual foundations and the identification of possible sectoral archetypes, the focus is now shifting to the question of how these arrangements can be consolidated in the long term and institutionally anchored. The central focus of this paper is therefore on examining the governance and policy structures that transform temporary projects into permanent infrastructures and establish DPPPs as viable building blocks of a digital and public-interest-oriented innovation architecture that is mutually beneficial to both the state and the private sector. The main challenge here is that digital collaborations are not limited to completed projects, but rather unfold their full potential in continuously evolving platforms and ecosystems (Maurer, 2025). What is needed, therefore, is a look at the mechanisms that enable standardisation, scaling and reuse while ensuring that public interests, private innovation and regulatory legitimacy remain permanently linked. With regard to the methodological approach of this paper, it should be clarified that, in line with the nature of a working paper, the following remarks do not claim to fully reflect empirically verified findings from existing DPPP research. Rather, this paper is intended to serve as inspiration, supported by empirical evidence where possible, and to address aspects relevant to innovation policy that could be important in the implementation of DPPPs. These would, of course, need to be examined in greater depth empirically in further steps. DPPP research is currently still in its early stages, which is why creative, innovation-centred conceptual work is particularly important today in order to create space for more in-depth scientific and practical debates. This paper therefore is structured in several steps. First, it traces the transition from shortand medium-term project structures to long-term infrastructure arrangements, before discussing different governance models for sustainable DPPPs. This is followed by an overview analysis of the policy alignment of 3 CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613 ISSN: 3061-1121 this novel concept with national and supranational strategies and frameworks, before discussing issues of resilience, reflexivity and the role of ethics, inclusion and democratic legitimacy. The paper finally concludes with a reflection on the long-term institutionalisation of DPPPs and the resulting implications for research and practice. 2 From Projects to Infrastructures Traditional public-private partnerships (PPPs) were mostly project-based and primarily related to the construction and creation of infrastructure, such as bridges, schools or hospitals (Ke et al., 2024; Maurer, 2025). The objectives were usually time-limited, clearly defined and contractually fixed. However, with increasing digitalisation, this paradigm is reaching its limits and calls for new approaches to solutions and structuring. Digital collaborations no longer unfold their effects only in completed individual projects, but in permanent structures that can be continuously developed, scaled and reused. DPPPs therefore mark a transition away from temporary projects towards digitised platform infrastructures and also a digitisation-appropriate handling of digitisation projects. After all, what would be the point of planning and implementing digitisation projects according to the outdated rules of classic PPPs? Platform solutions differ fundamentally from this because, in particular, they do not remain static after the project is completed, but are dynamically continued as open systems, and their viability can be measured in terms of scalability, interoperability and standardisation, among other things. Only when interfaces, protocols and data formats are harmonised can an environment be created that enables growing infrastructures while remaining open to new partners. In this context, standardisation is not only a technical necessity, but also an expression of institutional continuity that accelerates innovation cycles without jeopardising their legitimacy. The dynamics of such infrastructures also require a change in governance. While traditional PPPs often can be managed with fixed terms and clearly defined responsibilities (Krumm, 2016), DPPPs require mechanisms that ensure institutionalised further development. The reuse and transfer of modules, 4 CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613 ISSN: 3061-1121 data models and governance mechanisms across different sectors is a central theme here. This not only creates efficiency, but also lays the foundation for cross-sector innovation ecosystems. In this context, what we would like to call “public-private shared value logic” is of particular importance. This approach builds on the concept of shared value developed by Porter and Kramer (2011), who formulated the connection between economic value creation and social benefit under the guiding principle of “creating economic value by creating societal value” (Porter & Kramer, 2011). While shared value primarily referred to the renewal of capitalist dynamics and the opening up of new markets through social innovation, its application to DPPPs goes much further. It is not only about economic and social benefits, but also about institutional and existential considerations. The latter point in particular refers to the state's necessary ability to secure its future viability and maintain its capacity to act in an increasingly digitalised world. These additional dimensions do not exist in isolation, but in a dynamic interrelationship: institutional stability supports economic efficiency, while social benefits in turn create legitimacy for further innovation (see def. 1 ). Public-Private Shared Value Logic refers to a cooperation and management concept that integrates economic value creation, social benefits and institutional and governmental sustainability as interconnected dimensions in order to promote legitimacy, efficiency and innovation across sectors. Def. 1 Definition of public-private shared value logic For the public sector, this logic means that services can be digitised more quickly and innovations made available at an early stage, opening up new forms of public services. Companies, in turn, are given the opportunity to test their technologies in a regulated environment, build trust among citizens and supervisory authorities, and develop long-term markets at the same time. A key element of this shared value logic is, above all, the joint management of risks. Traditional public procurement models either shift risks entirely to the state or allow companies to integrate them into their price calculations, sometimes even in an exaggerated manner. DPPPs, on the other 5 CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613 ISSN: 3061-1121 hand, create structures in which risks are shared and distributed, particularly because the focus is no longer solely on capital investment but rather on the integration of data and digital expertise, which automatically shifts the risks. This not only increases the willingness to test innovative technologies relevant to the public sector, but also enables a fair distribution of burdens and promotes the building of trust. This logic ultimately forms the basis for the institutional consolidation of DPPPs. It not only generates short-term efficiency gains, but also creates the basis for long-term ecosystems based on stability, legitimacy and collective value creation. By integrating economic, social, institutional and existential dimensions, the public-private shared value logic opens up the possibility of establishing DPPPs as sustainable infrastructures of the digital age. Regardless of DPPPs, this logic can and should, of course, also be applied to traditional PPPs for reasons of expediency alone. 3 Possible Governance Models for Sustainable DPPPs As described at the outset and as should have become clear in the course of the above discussion, the institutionalisation of DPPPs requires governance models that not only structure short-term cooperation but are also designed for durability, adaptability and legitimacy. Sustainable DPPPs therefore need frameworks that accommodate technological dynamics, integrate social requirements and translate regulatory requirements into productive control. Such models differ from traditional PPP arrangements in particular, but not only, in their stronger anchoring in platform logic, their focus on data flows and data literacy, and their openness to multiple actors that go far beyond the binary relationship between the state and companies. Federated platforms appear particularly promising in this regard as they allow decentralised infrastructures to be connected without relinquishing sovereignty, as interfaces, standards and protocols ensure interoperability, which is essential for digital services in a cross-border context. Such structures reduce dependence on individual providers, promote competition and open up the possibility of scaling innovations gradually. Federated platforms are thus 6 CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613 ISSN: 3061-1121 a governance model that strengthens collective resilience while creating space for entrepreneurial dynamism. Another interesting approach could be the institutionalisation of public data trusts. These anchor data as a (collective) resource that is shared, used and further developed under defined rules (Lau et al., 2020). The key difference to purely private-sector platforms is that a trust framework institutionally ensures transparency, accountability and a focus on the common good. DPPPs allow such trusts to be combined with technological expertise, legal legitimacy and public governance. This creates a space in which data is not only protected, but can also be used in a way that ensures social acceptance and regulatory stability. Beyond both approaches, multi-layered governance structures are needed to accommodate the complexity of digital ecosystems. DPPPs do not operate in homogeneous contexts, but at the interface of different sectors, legal jurisdictions and technological standards. Multi-layered governance opens up the possibility of anchoring decisions at different levels depending on their scope and relevance: locally for operational services, nationally for sectoral regulation and supranationally for common standards. This linking of different levels not only creates flexibility, but also an institutional depth of focus that can protect DPPPs against political, economic and technological upheavals. Specific case studies show how such governance models are already beginning to take shape. The European Digital Identity Wallet demonstrates the potential of federated platforms, as it does not replace national systems but connects them via uniform interfaces (Kudra et al., 2025). Trust is created here through the combination of national sovereignty and European standardisation. Smart energy infrastructures, in turn, also illustrate how multilayered governance works: local grids, national energy markets and European climate targets are intertwined and require hybrid structures that ensure both flexibility and long-term commitment. Overall, it is clear that governance for sustainable DPPPs must be more than the sum of contractual rules. It is evolving into an architecture based on openness, shared resources and institutional continuity. The integration of federated platforms, data trusts and multi-layered governance structures is creating a vision in which DPPPs can be established as permanent forms 7 CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613 ISSN: 3061-1121 of infrastructure that not only incorporate technical innovations but also ensure social and political stability in the digital age. 4 Policy Alignment with National and Supranational Strategies The long-term institutionalisation of DPPPs requires close integration with political strategies at both national and supranational level. Digital ecosystems are ususlly deeply embedded in the normative, regulatory and economic orientations of national and supranational programmes. Especially in an environment characterised by high technological dynamism, consistent alignment with political guidelines can create the necessary stability and legitimacy without curtailing the innovative power of the actors involved. With its Digital Decade and European Data Strategy, the European Union has formulated its ambition not only to accompany digital change, but to actively shape it (Groza & Botero Arcila, 2024; Sandhu, 2024). For DPPPs, this means a clear orientation towards European values such as data protection, openness and interoperability, but also a commitment to making data usable as a strategic resource across borders. The interaction of federated platforms and common standards fits seamlessly into the logic of DPPPs: national autonomy is preserved, while supranational coordination sets the standard for scaling and connectivity. This creates a framework in which hybrid partnerships can have an impact beyond national borders. Another point of reference comes from the logic of mission-oriented innovation policy, as formulated in particular by Mariana Mazzucato (Mazzucato, 2017, 2018). Instead of relying on piecemeal regulation or short-term support programmes, states define overarching missions designed to drive social transformation in areas such as climate protection, health or mobility. In this context, DPPPs can be understood as operational vehicles that concretise such missions and translate them into institutionalised practice. By pooling their resources, public and private actors can not only accelerate innovation processes, but also focus them more strongly on collective problems. The key point is that missions set the normative framework within which DPPPs can have a formative effect without getting lost in particular interests. 14 CINOVUM · Reflections on Public Management and Innovation Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17109613 ISSN: 3061-1121 Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating Shared Value. How to reinvent capitalism — and unleash a wave of innovation and growth. Harvard Business Review, 89(Jan-Feb). Sandhu, A. (2024). The Gentle Digitalization: Digital Transformation in the European Digital Decade. In T. J. Möllers & K. van der Linde (Eds.), On the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Legal Perspectives from Germany and South Africa (pp. 237–264). Nomos. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783748945253-237 Staniuk, W., Staniuk, M., Chamier-Gliszczynski, N., Jacyna, M., & Kłodawski, M. (2022). Decision-Making under the Risk, Uncertainty and COVID-19 Pandemic Conditions Applying the PL9A Method of Logistics Planning—Case Study. Energies, 15(2), 639. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15020639