Putting aside the euphoria of supporters of public-private dialogue (PPD) and the doom prophecies of its detractors, this analysis identifies the advantages that it can bring, while cautioning against the very real dangers it can present to fragile states and relatively recent democracies. The type of state involved, the level of organisation within the national private sector and the kind of support offered by donors all have an influence on the potential and real success of PPD.

"Nicolas Pinaud does a masterful job of surveying the state of our knowledge -- both in theory and practice around the world -- and offers a thorough and balanced review of the potential benefits as well as risks of closer relations between business and government."

 -Ben Ross Schneider, Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University.