Framing Public Sector Capacity For Effective Public-Private Partnerships In Malaysia: A Typological Assessment
Abstract
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have remained a cornerstone of Malaysia’s development strategy since the New Economic Policy of the 1970s, with private sector participation consistently embedded in national planning. Analysing how PPPs are positioned within long-term policy frameworks is crucial for understanding the evolving priorities underpinning public-private coordination. Yet, existing scholarship offers limited insight into how these policies address capacity enhancement within the public sector, leaving gaps in evaluating institutional coherence and adaptive capability over time. This study addresses that gap by constructing a typology of Malaysia’s PPP initiatives and their alignment with public sector capacity development, based on a qualitative content analysis of 352 excerpts drawn from the First to Twelfth Malaysia Plans. Seven strategic categories and 26 thematic domains were identified, illustrating a shift from broad, idealized models toward more targeted, organizational, and empowerment-oriented strategies. While public sector human capital and private sector participation remain central, recent plans show increased attention to project-based competencies and logistical functions within the public service. However, misalignments persist, particularly in integrating sector-specific capacity requirements across both sectors. The findings also underscore strong institutional path dependency, with legacy structures shaping PPP trajectories. The resulting typology offers a critical lens for understanding how Malaysia’s public service is reimagining capacity development in response to contemporary PPP demands, advocating for more integrated, adaptive, and context-sensitive reform approaches.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/ebangi.2026.2302.05
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