Bridging politics and projects: how political affinity and government support affect delays in public–private partnership initiation

Drawing on institutional theory, this article examines the delays in the initiation of international public–private partnership projects, with a particular emphasis on the role of political affinity between investors’ origin and project destination. We also investigate how political affinity interacts with government support to impact delays in project initiation. The analysis encompasses 2,902 projects across 84 developing economies, from 1985 to 2021, sourced from the World Bank. The findings highlight the significance of these factors in starting projects on time, offering valuable insights for project stakeholders.