Stakeholder involvement helps protect the public interest, gain support and mitigate political risk.
"Experience shows that P3 agreements completed without public oversight [and comment] fall short of meeting the full potential for P3s to garner public benefit," stated a coalition of national environmental and public health groups in 2008. "They also sour public opinion about P3s."150 Given the relative lack of understanding in the United States about PPPs and the controversy that sometimes arises when they are proposed, it is important to provide opportunities for debate, explanation and education when decisions are being made about PPP policy and projects. Both legislators and executive agencies can better protect the public interest, gain support and address political risk by effectively educating and involving stakeholders throughout the PPP process.