IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i6p2451-d1609825.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Local Government’s Intention to Use Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Projects in China: Antecedents in a Technology Acceptance Model

Author

Listed:
  • Menglei Jiang

    (School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, 928, No. 2 Street, Xiasha, Qiantang District, Hangzhou 310018, China)

  • Caiyun Cui

    (School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, North China Institute of Science and Technology, No. 467, Xueyuan Street, Yanjiao High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Langfang 065201, China)

  • Bo Xia

    (School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia)

  • Martin Skitmore

    (Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia)

  • Yongjian Ke

    (School of Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia)

  • Yong Liu

    (School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, 928, No. 2 Street, Xiasha, Qiantang District, Hangzhou 310018, China)

Abstract

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are globally recognized for their innovative infrastructure delivery and public services; however, the factors influencing their adoption in China remain unexplored. This study investigates PPPs using the technology acceptance model (TAM). Surveying 353 regional civil servants reveals a direct positive impact of complexity on PPP policy. Additionally, policy positively correlates with perceived usefulness and ease of use, mediated by relative advantage, belief in benefits, and facilitating conditions. Regional disparities exist, with notable differences in complexity, perceived ease of use, and usage intention. These findings contribute to the PPP literature and offer practical insights for policymakers regarding sustainable PPP coordination.

Suggested Citation

  • Menglei Jiang & Caiyun Cui & Bo Xia & Martin Skitmore & Yongjian Ke & Yong Liu, 2025. "Local Government’s Intention to Use Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Projects in China: Antecedents in a Technology Acceptance Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-24, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:6:p:2451-:d:1609825
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2451/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2451/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jun Chen & Asma-Qamaliah Abdul-Hamid & Suhaiza Zailani, 2024. "Blockchain Adoption for a Circular Economy in the Chinese Automotive Industry: Identification of Influencing Factors Using an Integrated TOE-TAM Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-28, December.
    2. Wang, Jing & Li, Yazhou & Wu, Jianlin & Gu, Jibao & Xu, Shuo, 2020. "Environmental beliefs and public acceptance of nuclear energy in China: A moderated mediation analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    3. Muk, Alexander & Chung, Christina, 2015. "Applying the technology acceptance model in a two-country study of SMS advertising," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 1-6.
    4. Anthony E. BOARDMAN & Aidan R. VINING, 2012. "The Political Economy Of Public‐Private Partnerships And Analysis Of Their Social Value," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 83(2), pages 117-141, June.
    5. Zhang, Yanlong, 2015. "The formation of public-private partnerships in China: an institutional perspective," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 35(2), pages 329-354, August.
    6. Huanming Wang & Wei Xiong & Guangdong Wu & Dajian Zhu, 2018. "Public–private partnership in Public Administration discipline: a literature review," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 293-316, February.
    7. Jordi Rosell & Angel Saz-Carranza, 2020. "Determinants of public–private partnership policies," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(8), pages 1171-1190, July.
    8. Yuan, Jingfeng & Ding, Hongxing & Huang, Zeyuan & Deng, Binchao & Li, Shuai & Huang, Wei, 2021. "Influence of market structures on concession pricing in Public-Private-Partnership utilities with asymmetric information," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    9. Bo Zhang & Li Zhang & Jing Wu & Shouqing Wang, 2019. "Factors Affecting Local Governments’ Public–Private Partnership Adoption in Urban China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-14, December.
    10. Binchao Deng & Dongjie Zhou & Jiachen Zhao & Yilin Yin & Xiaoyu Li, 2021. "Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation of the Critical Success Factors for the Sustainability of Public Private Partnership Projects in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-23, February.
    11. Koebele, Elizabeth A., 2019. "Integrating collaborative governance theory with the Advocacy Coalition Framework," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 39(1), pages 35-64, March.
    12. Dan Pan & Huan Chen & Guzhen Zhou & Fanbin Kong, 2020. "Determinants of Public-Private Partnership Adoption in Solid Waste Management in Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-14, July.
    13. Wang, Nannan & Gong, Zheng & Liu, Yunfei & Thomson, Craig, 2020. "The influence of governance on the implementation of Public-Private Partnerships in the United Kingdom and China: A systematic comparison," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    14. Sabatier, Paul A., 1986. "Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Implementation Research: a Critical Analysis and Suggested Synthesis," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(1), pages 21-48, January.
    15. Zhe Cheng & Huanming Wang & Wei Xiong & Dajian Zhu & Le Cheng, 2021. "Public–private partnership as a driver of sustainable development: toward a conceptual framework of sustainability-oriented PPP," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 1043-1063, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dan Pan & Huan Chen & Guzhen Zhou & Fanbin Kong, 2020. "Determinants of Public-Private Partnership Adoption in Solid Waste Management in Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-14, July.
    2. Han Zhang & Shiying Shi & Fangfang Zhao & Xiaosu Ye & Hanyue Qi, 2023. "A Study on the Impact of Team Interdependence on Cooperative Performance in Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Effect of Government Equity Participation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, August.
    3. Xiaohan Li & Yang Lv & Md Nazirul Islam Sarker & Xun Zeng, 2022. "Assessment of Critical Diffusion Factors of Public–Private Partnership and Social Policy: Evidence from Mainland Prefecture-Level Cities in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, February.
    4. Cao, Fuguo & Li, Runyu & Guo, Shaobo, 2024. "Rhetoric and reality of public-private partnerships in China: A sustainable public procurement perspective," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    5. Yong Zhang, 2024. "THE PARTNERSHIP QUESTION AS A SCALE QUESTION: Extending the Theorization of Entrepreneurial Urbanism in China," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(5), pages 789-814, September.
    6. Wenhua Hou & Xiaoqi Peng & Lin Wang, 2024. "The Influence of Contractual and Relational Governance on the Sustainable Performance of Public-Private Partnership Projects: Findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 10826-10852, September.
    7. Aliya Zyalilevna Minnibaeva & Irina Yurievna Vaslavskaya & Irina Alexandrovna Koshkina & Artur Faridovich Ziyatdinov, 2021. "Improving the Mechanisms of Public-Private Partnership," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 12(2), pages 242-250, April.
    8. Nannan Wang & Minxun Ma, 2021. "Public–private partnership as a tool for sustainable development – What literatures say?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(1), pages 243-258, January.
    9. Darko, Deborah & Zhu, Demi & Quayson, Matthew & Hossin, Md Altab & Omoruyi, Osayuwamen & Bediako, Albert Kweku, 2023. "A multicriteria decision framework for governance of PPP projects towards sustainable development," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PB).
    10. Guoli Feng & Shengyue Hao & Xiaoguang Li, 2022. "Project Sustainability and Public-Private Partnership: The Role of Government Relation Orientation and Project Governance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-20, April.
    11. Huanming Wang & Xiaoyun Sun & Yu Shi, 2024. "Commercial investment in public–private partnerships: the impact of government characteristics," Local Government Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(1), pages 230-260, January.
    12. Fabio De Matteis & Giovanni Notaristefano & Piervito Bianchi, 2021. "Public—Private Partnership Governance for Accessible Tourism in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-14, July.
    13. Isaac Akomea-Frimpong & Xiaohua Jin & Robert Osei-Kyei, 2022. "Mapping Studies on Sustainability in the Performance Measurement of Public-Private Partnership Projects: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-20, June.
    14. Ogada, Maurice Juma, 2012. "Forest Management Decentralization in Kenya: Effects on Household Farm Forestry Decisions in Kakamega," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126319, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    15. Peter Mantello & Manh-Tung Ho & Minh-Hoang Nguyen & Quan-Hoang Vuong, 2023. "Machines that feel: behavioral determinants of attitude towards affect recognition technology—upgrading technology acceptance theory with the mindsponge model," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, December.
    16. Lim, Joon Soo & Zhang, Jun, 2022. "Adoption of AI-driven personalization in digital news platforms: An integrative model of technology acceptance and perceived contingency," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    17. Wang, Guoqiang & Tan, Garry Wei-Han & Yuan, Yunpeng & Ooi, Keng-Boon & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2022. "Revisiting TAM2 in behavioral targeting advertising: A deep learning-based dual-stage SEM-ANN analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    18. Ding, Song & Tao, Zui & Zhang, Huahan & Li, Yao, 2022. "Forecasting nuclear energy consumption in China and America: An optimized structure-adaptative grey model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PA).
    19. Margarita De-Miguel-Guzmán & Carlos Ronquillo-Bolaños & Alexander Sánchez-Rodríguez & Gelmar García-Vidal & Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer & Rodobaldo Martínez-Vivar, 2020. "Analysis of the Effectiveness of Advertising Messages. Comparison by Media, Typology, and Schedule of Advertisements," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 32(1), pages 27-46.
    20. Radtke, Jörg & Scherhaufer, Patrick, 2022. "A social science perspective on conflicts in the energy transition: An introduction to the special issue," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:6:p:2451-:d:1609825. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.