  A salient characteristic of China's public-private partnerships (PPPs) is the
deep involvement of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), particularly those
administered by the central/national government (CSOEs). This paper integrates
the approaches of resource-based view and resource-dependency theory to explain
CSOEs' involvement in PPP networks. Built upon a network perspective, this
paper differs from earlier studies in that it investigates the entire PPP
governance network as a whole and all PPP participants' embedded network
positions, rather than individual, isolated PPP transactions. Using a novel
data source on PPP projects in the period of 2012-2017, social network analysis
is conducted to test hypothesized network dominance of CSOEs' in forming PPPs,
in light of CSOEs' superior possession of and access to strategic assets.
Research findings suggest that CSOEs have a dominant influence and control
power in PPP networks across sectors, over time, and throughout geographic
space. It is also suggested that policy makers should reduce resource gaps
between SOEs and private businesses, and only in so doing, presence and
involvement of non-SOEs in China's PPPs can be enhanced.
