Partnerships that Work!

Dr. Palais' global work

The focus of Dr. Palais' global work is to help develop digital skills and provide access to digital equipment through public-private partnerships (PPP) that provide incentive benefits to all of the participating parties.  Two of the programs she mentioned were the "Open Futures" program for schools and "A PC to Get Connected" program for seniors (for detailed information on the PTA, visit www.microsoft.com/pta)

Aligning incentives gets people to work together for success such that the programs are not philanthropy projects but a capacity building investment.  Successful partnerships build the customer base for Microsoftwhile simultaneously enhancing government and individual capacity.  She described the theme of her work as "empowering eCitizens, enabling eGovernments".

Typical components of PPP Consortiums are government agencies, financiers, NGOs, IT vendors, and Telcos.  Dr. Palais noted that innovation, while typically ascribed to the development of technology, also applies to the way of thinking that creates these successful consortiums.

Microsoft sponsored and distributed three awards for Best Practice Winners in the area of Public-Private Partnerships during the Summit:

• Peru, for its 30-year project for women prisoners in sustainable laundry services, both as an opportunity for early parole and also as an opportunity for development in preparation for re-entry into the workforce. This project was dependent on having a supportive legal framework as well as a carefully administered program.
• Chile, for its innovative agricultural partnership in its northern desert with 25 indigenous women who are now growing flowers that are traded both domestically and internationally. The women are now able to support their families economically.
• Singapore, which was not present to accept the award, and the project was not described.