Driven by the quest for finance and improved efficiency of municipal services, the fundamental shift toward PPPs often places equity and poverty-related service issues in second place. This has naturally led to a focus upon business alone as the key partner for municipalities, and a lack of recognition of the important role of civil society in establishing partnerships that fulfil all objectives, and are holistic in nature. The efficiency focus has been reinforced by the comparatively strong voice and sophistication of the business sector. In contrast, civil society is still emerging in many locations and often lacks the confidence and experience needed in large ambitious partnerships.
From one perspective, changes in the approach to municipal service delivery can be seen as representing an increasingly sophisticated understanding about the roles and competencies of different types of organisational actors. The development of this approach requires municipalities and other potential partners to overcome ideological barriers. Most importantly, the partnership framework must prioritise discussions about who is to be involved and what roles and relationships are to be established.