This section presents the different ways that PPD can be used, as a 1) Discovery mechanism, 2) Detection mechanism, 3) Resolution platform, and as a 4) Governance mechanism.

PPD comes in many forms: It can be structured or ad hoc, formal or informal, wide-ranging or focused on specific issues. The PPD typology framework is also explained along seven categories, 1) national vs. local, 2) sector-specific vs. economy-wide, or topic-wide, 3) permanent institution vs. temporary initiative, 4) public-driven vs. private driven, 5) third-party brokerage vs. locally driven, 6) many goals vs. a specific goal, and lastly, 7) many actors vs. few actors.