Institutionalising Digital Public-Private Partnerships: Long-Term Governance Models and Policy Alignment

Abstract Digital Public-Private Partnerships (DPPPs) have the potential to become central components of sustainable governance, with an impact that extends far beyond project-based collaborations. While traditional PPPs were usually limited in time and focused on specific construction or operational tasks, digitalisation opens up the possibility and necessity of institutionalising hybrid structures as long-term platform infrastructures. The central question is how DPPPs can be designed to enable scalability, standardisation and reuse not only technically but also institutionally. This paper argues that this requires the comprehensive implementation of a public-private shared value logic that combines economic, social, institutional and existential dimensions, thus going beyond the traditional shared value approach. It also discusses possible governance models such as federated platforms, public data trusts and multi-layered control architectures designed for durability, legitimacy and adaptability. By linking DPPPs to European strategies, national digital programmes and mission-oriented policies, it becomes clear that they can only be effective if they are embedded in political and regulatory frameworks. Resilience and reflexivity appear to be indispensable qualities for overcoming crises and institutionalising learning processes. Keywords Digital Public-Private Partnerships · Governance · Platform Infrastructures · Policy Alignment · Shared Value Logic