Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the UK : A Lyapunov View

Explication of reality may draw tools outside the phenomenon. That is the essence of case study, and the epistemological motivation of this paper. The paper illuminates the space of PPP policy in the UK. Yet, that illumination raises questions that stand to guide other countries, and the paper is most concerned about the younger states. The paper uses the M40 motorway management contract as a stud in illuminating the policy space of PPP in the UK. The space is a dynamical system and the paper uses Lyapunov function as lens. Ultimately, the paper asks how the younger states can pursue PPP without the holonomic control of the state, which the UK possesses. Either option leads to a fuzzy path. The dominant concessions rely on the market driving policy and use holonomic structures outside the country. That is not sustainable. On the other hand, management contract requires a holonomic state. The younger states have moulding structures, and they are non-ergodic. Therefore, management contracts will be unstable. Whichever path, policy designers must install incremental and reflexive functions to navigate the complex spaces