The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Facilitating Cross-Border Logistics: A Case Study at the U.S./Canadian Border

Private enterprise carries out the complex operations of cross-border logistics that are the lifeblood of global supply chains. Yet, the efficiency of these activities depends on government agencies that provide the logistics infrastructure for global trade. Thus, public–private partnerships (PPPs) play an important role in facilitating improvements in cross-border logistics. While private enterprise and the public sector are key stakeholders in the quality of cross-border logistics, research that examines PPPs in logistics management is relatively sparse. To address this gap, the current study aims to develop empirically based theoretical insights into the nature and role of PPPs in the context of cross-border logistics. The study employs a grounded-theory analysis of case study data collected at the U.S./Canadian border. Findings show that private enterprise collaborative capability and public interagency cooperation determine the performance of PPPs which, in turn, influence the quality of cross-border logistics.