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Manuel Suter


Biography:

Manuel Suter is a Ph.D. candidate and researcher at the Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich. At the CSS, he works with the Crisis and Risk Network research group where he specializes in cyber security and critical infrastructure protection (CIP) and focuses on the issue of public-private collaboration in this field. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Zurich.

Abstract:

Unpacking Public-Private Partnerships: Identifying Differences, Challenges and Practices of Collaboration in Cyber Security

In 1997, the report of the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection stated that “coping with increasingly cyber-based threats demands a new approach to the relationship between government and the private sector”. Since then, efforts to foster Public-Private Partnerships have increasingly been an essential part of most cyber security policies. However, a review of the current state of public-private collaboration reveals that the concept of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) has thus far not reached its full efficiency potential.  While there are many successful examples of PPPs, there remain many challenges to successful collaboration. A lack of trust between partners, conflicts of interests, misplaced expectations or unclear delineation of roles and responsibilities are some of the factors which hinder a fruitful collaboration. In order to address these challenges, this presentation will argue that it is first necessary to gain a better understanding of the motivations and rationales that lead to the formation of PPPs. Best practices will also be identified, drawn from successful examples of PPPs and public management literature on public-private collaboration.