We have witnessed the devastating tragedy of the fires that have affected hundreds of families in the south of the country. Faced with such adversity and, in good time, voices emerged from different political, social and business actors who opted for the path of dialogue and collaboration to face this crisis. Not only is it necessary to resolve the urgency of putting out the fire, but efforts, resources and will are also required for a speedy reconstruction before the arrival of an autumn that is closer than it seems.
From the point of view of public policies, international organizations, governments from different latitudes and the academic literature have paid attention to the concept of public-private collaboration as a key mechanism, not only to face crisis situations, but also to establish institutionalized mechanisms that generate value and well-being for societies, for example, integrating companies and non-profit organizations into the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies that complement the work of state technical agencies from their perspectives.
Naturally, this approach involves efforts from all involved. In the first place, to overcome the dichotomy of the state versus the private, prioritizing the will to cooperate and dialogue. Secondly, it is necessary to explore new ways of prosecuting public-private relations and move towards mechanisms that institutionalize cooperation, coordination and dialogue beyond contractual or regulatory relations and with sufficient flexibility that current times demand. Third, actors are needed in each of the parties involved who understand the logic of this new way of relating in order to build fruitful dialogues in the face of emerging and highly dynamic challenges in various areas such as the environment, the emergence of new markets, health, artificial intelligence. , etc.
Although public-private collaboration is not new in our country, we need the collaborative spirit to be systematic and permanent, since “the public” involves and commits us all, not only when situations as unfortunate as forest fires occur. Today collaboration is not only important, but also urgent.
Public-private collaboration: Urgent today, important always. By Gustavo Campos, Director of the School of Government, San Sebastián University
