Grasping institutional complexity in infrastructure mega-projects through the multi-level governance system: A case study of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge construction

Abstract

This study analyzes the design and operation of multi-level governance system for the smooth delivery of infrastructure mega-projects with high institutional complexity caused by market transition. From an institutional perspective, this study scrutinizes the structure, elements, and dynamics of the governance system of infrastructure mega-projects and then proposes an integrative framework based on the inductive case study of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge mega-project. Multiple evidences of archives, field studies, and interviews related to the case project are triangulated to further analyze the institutional effects, specifically those with government logics and market structures, on the design and operation of the three-level governance system. Results reveal that the co-evolution between governments and markets in China has shaped the vertical levels of the mega-project governance system and has further affected their evolution and operation across various stages of project development. This study contributes to the rapidly emerging research on complex system governance by proposing a systematic model of three-level mega-project governance to enhance the timely delivery of infrastructure mega-projects within budget.

Keywords

institutional complexity / multi-level governance / infrastructure mega-project / China

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Acknowledgments

An earlier draft of this work was presented at the research seminar on theories, methods and innovative applications of infrastructure mega-project management held in Shanghai in the mid-September 2017, which was supported as an academic activity by the Department of Engineering Management, Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Comments on the earlier draft by Prof. Chongqing GUO (a CAE academician), Prof. Zhanjun GAO, Dr. Jingwen ZHANG and other participants in the seminar are deeply appreciated. Special thanks go to the senior executives and staff accepting interview requests at the Bridge Authority. Data formulation works by Ms. Yixin WANG, a student research assistant, are acknowledged. Finally, the comments from the guest editor and three anonymous reviewers are appreciated.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2018 The Author(s) 2018. Published by Higher Education Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)