Private Sector Engagement in Democratic Processes: An Evidence Gap Assessment

Development practitioners face complex processes in advancing democracy and governance while combating corruption. Private sector engagement (PSE) in activities, interventions, and programming that promotes democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) is rooted in balancing the resources that private sector actors offer to development projects.

The involvement of private sector actors in development activities in the DRG space is growing and has become a topic of interest among researchers, development practitioners, and the donor community. However, a lack of clear understanding of the existing evidence of PSE in the DRG space and the connection between PSE and advancing the DRG agenda and policies limit the ability to effectively engage both private and public sectors at the national, regional, and international levels.

The results of this brief provide an overview of the current state of literature at the intersection of PSE and DRG.