The Governance of Energy Megaprojects
The Governance of Energy Megaprojects

Author: Benjamin K. Sovacool

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2013-07-01

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 178195254X

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ÔBenjamin Sovacool and Christopher Jon Cooper have produced an astonishing and well-written book, based on extensive original research in twelve countries. They explore the technical, social, political and economic dimensions of four energy megaprojects. The large scale of megaprojects always appears to complicate the decision-making process and often causes failures. Megaprojects may even reinforce corruption and erode democracy. It highlights that todayÕs experiences can be explained by statements by Aristotle and Einstein who argue, both in their own way, that is always wise to take the limits of size into account and to reduce the size of projects, wherever this is possible. For everybody involved in megaprojects, this book must be read!Õ Ð Hugo Priemus, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Based on extensive original research, this book explores the technical, social, political, and economic dimensions of four Asian energy megaprojects: a regional natural gas pipeline network in Southeast Asia, a series of hydroelectric dams on the island of Borneo, an oil pipeline linking Europe with the Caspian Sea, and a very large solar energy array in the Gobi desert. This book investigates why energy megaprojects fail to deliver their promised benefits. It offers the first comprehensive assessment of the complicated dynamics driving Ð and constraining Ð megaprojects initiated in the rapid scramble for energy resources and efforts to improve energy security. The authors approach the assessment of megaprojects from a socio-technical angle, emphasizing broad issues of political leadership, regulation, financing, interest group opposition and environmental impact, as well as conventional technological factors such as engineering design and project management. The Governance of Energy Megaprojects will prove insightful for academics concerned about energy policy, energy security, environmental impact and technology assessment. But the book should prove equally compelling to those engaged in the practical management and implementation of large-scale energy projects anywhere in the world.

The Governance of Infrastructure
The Governance of Infrastructure

Author: Kai Wegrich

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-03-01

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0191091065

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Infrastructure only tends to be noticed when it is absent, declining, or decrepit, or when enormous cost overruns, time delays, or citizen protests make the headlines. If infrastructure is indeed a fundamental driver of economic growth and social development, why is it so difficult to get right? In addressing this perennial question, this volume-the fourth edition in an annual series tackling different aspects of governance around the world-makes the case for a governance perspective on infrastructure. This implies moving beyond rational economic analysis of what should be done towards an analysis of the political, institutional, and societal mechanisms that shape decision-making about infrastructure investment, planning, and implementation. Engaging with theories from sociology, political science, and public administration, and drawing on empirical analyses bridging OECD and non-OECD countries, the contributions to this volume dissect the logics of infrastructure governance in a novel way, providing timely analyses that will enrich both scholarly and policy debates about how to get infrastructure governance right.

Industrial Megaprojects
Industrial Megaprojects

Author: Edward W. Merrow

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-05-03

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 047093882X

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Avoid common pitfalls in large-scale projects using these smart strategies Over half of large-scale engineering and construction projects—off-shore oil platforms, chemical plants, metals processing, dams, and similar projects—have miserably poor results. These include billions of dollars in overruns, long delays in design and construction, and poor operability once finally completed. Industrial Megaprojects gives you a clear, nontechnical understanding of why these major projects get into trouble, and how your company can prevent hazardous and costly errors when undertaking such large technical and management challenges. Clearly explains the underlying causes of over-budget, delayed, and unsafe megaprojects Examines effects of poor project management, destructive team behaviors, weak accountability systems, short-term focus, and lack of investment in technical expertise Author is the CEO of the leading consulting firm for evaluating billion-dollar projects Companies worldwide are rethinking their large-scale projects. Industrial Megaprojects is your essential guide for this rethink, offering the tools and principles that are the true foundation of safe, cost-effective, successful megaprojects.

The Global Energy Transition
The Global Energy Transition

Author: Peter D Cameron

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-01-14

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1509932496

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Global energy is on the cusp of change, and it has become almost a truism that energy is in transition. But what does this notion mean exactly? This book explores the working hypothesis that, characteristically, the energy system requires a strategy of the international community of states to deliver sustainable energy to which all have access. This strategy is for establishing rules-based governance of the global energy value-cycle. The book has four substantive parts that bring together contributions of leading experts from academia and practice on the law, policy, and economics of energy. Part I, 'The prospects of energy transition', critically discusses the leading forecasts for energy and the strategies that resource-rich countries may adopt. Part II, 'Rules-based multilateral governance of the energy sector', details the development and sources of rules on energy. Part III, 'Competition and regulation in transboundary energy markets', discusses principal instruments of rules-based governance of energy. Part IV, 'Attracting investments and the challenges of multi-level governance', focuses on the critical governance of the right investments. This book is a flagship publication of the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at the University of Dundee. It launches the Hart series 'Global Energy Law and Policy' and is edited by the series general editors Professors Peter D Cameron and Volker Roeben, and also Dr Xiaoyi Mu.

Research Handbook on the Governance of Projects
Research Handbook on the Governance of Projects

Author: Ralf Müller

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2023-09-06

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 1802208070

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This cutting-edge Research Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of research on the governance of projects. Spanning sectors, project types, and organizational hierarchies, it delves into diverse theoretical and practical approaches to the governance of projects, identifying valuable new phenomena for future study.

Large Infrastructure Projects in Germany
Large Infrastructure Projects in Germany

Author: Genia Kostka

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-05-23

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 3319292331

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This book presents an analysis of why some large infrastructure projects are delayed or compromised and offers important insights into the better delivery of future projects. It provides an important reaction to the ambitious €315 billion investment plan devised by the European Commission, wherein Europe's infrastructure is a key investment target. Germany is adopted as a focus, as Europe's largest economy, and a nation that has seen significant delays and tensions in the delivery of key infrastructure projects. The contributions to this volume demonstrate various patterns for infrastructure assets and illustrate how factors such as poor project governance, early planning mistakes, inappropriate risk management and unforeseen technological challenges influence delivery. The in-depth case studies on the Berlin Brandenburg Airport, the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, and offshore wind parks show how project delivery can face massive problems, and illuminating solutions are offered to these problems. Overall, the case of Germany also offers the opportunity to assess various new forms of project delivery, such as public-private partnerships (PPP), and the risks and opportunities of ambitious first-mover 'pioneer' projects. The book will be of great interest for scholars and upper-level students of human geography, business and management, as well as policy makers.

Cross-Border Renewable Energy Transitions
Cross-Border Renewable Energy Transitions

Author: Philippe Hamman

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-12-26

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1000528529

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This book explores the intrinsically multiscale issue of renewable energy transition from a local, national and transnational perspective, and provides insights into current developments in the Upper Rhine Region that can serve as an international model. Organised around the exploration of stakeholder issues, the volume first describes a framework for public action and modelling and then articulates a triple complementary focus from the viewpoint of law, economics and sociology. This multidisciplinary approach is anchored in the social sciences, but also explores the ways in which technological issues are increasingly debated in the implementation of the ecological transition. With a focus on the Upper Rhine Region of France, Germany and Switzerland, the contributions throughout analyse how concrete regional projects emerge, and whether they are carried out by local authorities, private energy groups, network associations or committed citizens. From this, it appears that real-world energy transition modes can be best understood as permanent transactional processes involving institutional regulations, economic levers and barriers and social interactions. This book will be of interest to advanced students and scholars focusing on renewable energy transition, stakeholder issues, environment and sustainability studies, as well as those who are interested in the methodological aspects of the social sciences, especially within the fields of sociology, law, economy, geography, political science, urbanism and planning.

Socioeconomic Evaluation of Megaprojects
Socioeconomic Evaluation of Megaprojects

Author: Markku Lehtonen

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2016-11-22

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1317222075

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The governance and evaluation of ‘megaprojects’ – that is, large-scale, complex, high-stakes infrastructure projects usually commissioned by governments and delivered through partnerships between public and private organisations – is receiving increased attention. However, megaproject evaluation has hitherto largely adopted a linear-rationalist perspective to explain the frequent failure of such projects to meet the ‘iron triangle’ of performance criteria: delivering on time, within budget, and according to specifications. This approach recommends greater control and accountability to remedy megaproject ‘pathologies’. Drawing on empirical examples mainly from the transport sector and radioactive waste disposal, this book offers new perspectives to megaproject evaluation. Comprising contributions from leading experts in project evaluation and appraisal, this collection opens up new avenues by suggesting two ways of improving megaproject evaluation: 1) approaches that go beyond the dominant linearrationalist notion of policy processes, and emphasise instead the objective of opening up appraisal processes in order to enhance learning and reflexivity; and 2) approaches that extend evaluative criteria beyond the ‘iron triangle’, to cover the various socioeconomic impacts and preconditions for project success. This volume will be of great relevance to scholars and practitioners with an interest in megaprojects, energy and climate policy, radioactive waste management, urban design, and project planning and management.

Power in Megaproject Decision-making
Power in Megaproject Decision-making

Author: Jessica Pooi Sun Siva

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-07-31

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1040113737

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This research-based book critically examines the complex interplay of power relations in decision-making in megaprojects. This book is tailored for academics, students, practitioners, clients, and policymakers and addresses a significant gap in understanding how formal and informal power influences decision-making. Through applying governmentality theory and narrative inquiry from thirty-nine interviews, this book presents over sixty-five detailed stories offering a series of real-life narratives that expose the diverse forms of power at play in megaprojects. The stories reveal how deviations from norms can significantly impact project outcomes. This book uncovers the complex web of power relations, institutional norms, and individual actions driving decisions. This book provides a framework illustrating four behavioural contexts, entrepreneurial, box-ticking, deception, and recklessness, as manifestations of megaproject decision-making, providing readers with a tool to understand and navigate the intricate power dynamics in megaprojects. Readers will benefit from practical insights and strategies for fostering conducive decision-making environments, tailoring interventions to promote constructive behaviours, and mitigating harmful actions. This book is a resource for anyone seeking to grasp the complexities of megaproject management in the context of power relations, shaping their decision-making leading to success.

Megaproject Management
Megaproject Management

Author: Virginia A. Greiman

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-06-17

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 1118115473

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Project management lessons learned on the Big Dig, America's biggest megaproject, by a core member responsible for its daily operations In Megaproject Management, a central member of the Big Dig team reveals the numerous risks, challenges, and accomplishments of the most complex urban infrastructure project in the history of the United States. Drawing on personal experience and interviews with project engineers, executive oversight commission officials, and core managers, the author, a former deputy counsel and risk manager for the Big Dig, develops new insights as she describes the realities of day-to-day management of the project from a project manager's perspective. The book incorporates both theory and practice and is therefore highly recommended to policymakers, academics, and project management practitioners. Focusing on lessons learned, this insightful coursebook presents the Big Dig as a massive case study in the management of risk, cost, and schedule, particularly the interrelation of technical, legal, political, and social factors. It provides an analysis of the difficulties in managing megaprojects during each phase and over the life span of the project, while delivering useful lessons on why projects go wrong and what can be done to prevent project failure. It also offers new ideas to enhance project management performance and innovation in our global society. This unique guide: Defines megaproject characteristics and frameworks Reviews the Big Dig's history, stakeholders, and governance Examines the project's management scope, scheduling, and cost management including project delays and cost overruns Analyzes the Big Dig's risk management and quality management Reveals how to build a sustainable project through integration and change introduction