Accountability, Corruption and the Attention Paid to User Satisfaction in PPP Specifications: Evidence from China

Defining output specifications is a prerequisite for achieving Public-Private Partnership (PPP) procurement performance. Theoretically, user satisfaction is vital for output specifications, but it has received insufficient attention in theoretical research and practice. To explore the factors that influence the definition of output specifications, we took 6714 PPP projects as a sample and used the logit regression model to discuss the links between accountability and corruption in the definition of user satisfaction. We found the following: the stronger the accountability, the more emphasis the purchaser attaches to user satisfaction, whereas the higher the level of corruption, the less attention the purchaser places on user satisfaction. Robustness tests demonstrate the reliability of the effects of accountability and corruption on the attention paid to user satisfaction. The contributions of this study are as follows: (1) Theoretically, it provides a basis for user satisfaction as an important aspect of output specifications and new evidence on the impact of accountability and corruption on defining output specification; (2) institutionally, it provides advice for the optimization of output specifications in PPP procurement; and (3) practically, these findings are insightful for improving the definition of output specifications of PPP projects that can enhance performance in PPP projects.

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