Public–Private Collaboration for the Security and Resilience of Critical Infrastructure in Slovenia: A Systematic Literature Review Focused on the Energy and Digital Infrastructure Sectors
Purpose:
This paper systematically reviews the literature on public–private collaboration (PPC) in the security and resilience of critical infrastructure, with a particular focus on the energy and digital infrastructure sectors. The study is motivated by the limited availability of empirical analyses of operational coordination and collaboration maturity in the Slovenian context. The aim of the review is to identify key collaboration mechanisms, barriers to information sharing, and approaches to the operationalization of collaboration maturity and resilience outcomes.
Methods:
The study is based on a systematic literature review and thematic synthesis conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The review was designed as a systematic mapping study complemented by thematic interpretation of findings. Searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, and DKUM for the period 2018–2025. Following deduplication, screening, and fulltext assessment, 119 sources were included in the analysis.
Findings:
The literature is primarily focused on issues of governance and regulation, risk management and operational resilience, as well as the digital and cyber ecosystem. Formal institutional frameworks alone do not ensure effective coordination without operational network mechanisms such as clearly defined roles, contact points, information-sharing protocols, and joint exercises. Barriers to collaboration are legal, organizational, technical, and cultural-relational in nature, while collaboration maturity is more frequently described conceptually than systematically measured.
Research Limitations / Implications:
The review is limited to selected bibliographic databases and sources published in Slovenian and English. Due to the limited number of empirical studies directly related to the Slovenian context, the findings primarily provide a conceptual basis for further empirical research and validation of collaboration models.
Practical Implications:
The paper provides a foundation for the development of a public–private collaboration maturity model, coordination and resilience indicators, and improved operational mechanisms for cooperation among public authorities, regulators, and critical infrastructure operators.
Originality/Value:
The originality of the paper lies in combining systematic mapping and thematic synthesis of the literature with a focus on the Slovenian context of critical infrastructure. The findings are intended for researchers, policymakers, regulators, and critical infrastructure operators.
UDC: 005.034
Keywords: public–private collaboration, critical infrastructure, resilience, Slovenia, energy sector, digital infrastructure