The Impact of Contractual Governance on Project Performance in Urban Sewage Treatment Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Role of Administrative Efficiency

In public–private partnership (PPP) projects, the private sector’s performance is influenced by administrative efficiency, and the impact varies across different contractual dimensions. Existing research mainly focuses on the influence of project governance on project performance, with few scholars...

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Main Authors: Jialin Gui, Jinbo Song, Wen Xia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/11/1858
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author Jialin Gui
Jinbo Song
Wen Xia
author_facet Jialin Gui
Jinbo Song
Wen Xia
author_sort Jialin Gui
collection DOAJ
description In public–private partnership (PPP) projects, the private sector’s performance is influenced by administrative efficiency, and the impact varies across different contractual dimensions. Existing research mainly focuses on the influence of project governance on project performance, with few scholars delving into the impact of administrative efficiency on the contractual dimensions of PPP projects. To address this gap, this study employs literature analysis to examine the contractual relationships among PPP project stakeholders, identifying four sub-dimensions: responsibility and authority allocation, profit allocation, risk allocation, and accountability. It then investigates the moderating role of administrative efficiency in the relationships between contractual dimensions and project performance, proposing hypotheses and constructing a research model. The findings reveal that all four sub-dimensions of contractual relationships exert significant positive effects on project performance. Specifically, administrative efficiency significantly enhances the positive relationship between responsibility/authority allocation and project performance, as well as between risk allocation and project performance. These results highlight the critical role of administrative efficiency in optimizing contractual mechanisms to improve PPP project outcomes, providing theoretical and practical insights for enhancing contractual governance in PPP projects.
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spelling doaj-art-efdecfead45b44c4bc313a829f922e362025-08-20T02:33:09ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-05-011511185810.3390/buildings15111858The Impact of Contractual Governance on Project Performance in Urban Sewage Treatment Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Role of Administrative EfficiencyJialin Gui0Jinbo Song1Wen Xia2School of Management, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, ChinaIn public–private partnership (PPP) projects, the private sector’s performance is influenced by administrative efficiency, and the impact varies across different contractual dimensions. Existing research mainly focuses on the influence of project governance on project performance, with few scholars delving into the impact of administrative efficiency on the contractual dimensions of PPP projects. To address this gap, this study employs literature analysis to examine the contractual relationships among PPP project stakeholders, identifying four sub-dimensions: responsibility and authority allocation, profit allocation, risk allocation, and accountability. It then investigates the moderating role of administrative efficiency in the relationships between contractual dimensions and project performance, proposing hypotheses and constructing a research model. The findings reveal that all four sub-dimensions of contractual relationships exert significant positive effects on project performance. Specifically, administrative efficiency significantly enhances the positive relationship between responsibility/authority allocation and project performance, as well as between risk allocation and project performance. These results highlight the critical role of administrative efficiency in optimizing contractual mechanisms to improve PPP project outcomes, providing theoretical and practical insights for enhancing contractual governance in PPP projects.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/11/1858contractual governancePPP projectsproject performancesewage treatment
spellingShingle Jialin Gui
Jinbo Song
Wen Xia
The Impact of Contractual Governance on Project Performance in Urban Sewage Treatment Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Role of Administrative Efficiency
Buildings
contractual governance
PPP projects
project performance
sewage treatment
title The Impact of Contractual Governance on Project Performance in Urban Sewage Treatment Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Role of Administrative Efficiency
title_full The Impact of Contractual Governance on Project Performance in Urban Sewage Treatment Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Role of Administrative Efficiency
title_fullStr The Impact of Contractual Governance on Project Performance in Urban Sewage Treatment Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Role of Administrative Efficiency
title_full_unstemmed The Impact of Contractual Governance on Project Performance in Urban Sewage Treatment Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Role of Administrative Efficiency
title_short The Impact of Contractual Governance on Project Performance in Urban Sewage Treatment Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Role of Administrative Efficiency
title_sort impact of contractual governance on project performance in urban sewage treatment public private partnership projects the moderating role of administrative efficiency
topic contractual governance
PPP projects
project performance
sewage treatment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/11/1858
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