Review of social responsibility factors for sustainable development in public-private partnerships

In recent years, social responsibility (SR) in public-private partnership (PPP) projects has become crucial due to the need for governments and policy-makers to develop public infrastructures that are sustainable and offer additional social benefits. However, a systematic review of the extant literature on PPP-SR is lacking. This study therefore addresses this gap by conducting a comprehensive review through a three-stage systematic process. From the review, 38 SR factors are identified from 26 selected papers on PPP-SR published in peer-reviewed journals from 1990 to 2016. The most reported SR factors in PPPs include "establishing an environmental management system," "innovation" and "ensuring accountability, legitimacy and transparency." The 38 SR factors are classified into three interrelated categories, namely economic, environmental and community development. The findings inform researchers and practitioners of the SR factors that need to be considered to enhance sustainable development in PPPs. Also, the checklist of PPP-SR is useful for further empirical investigations.