Governing collaborative networks in mega transport projects development: Integrative findings from 34 cases worldwide

Abstract

To enhance the development of transport infrastructure, various networks characterised by cross-sector, interorganisational collaborations have been designed, structured and deployed to tackle project complexities and achieve predefined objectives. However, these endeavours have received limited scrutiny in prior studies. To address this gap and gain novel insights, we conduct a multi-case review of 34 mega transport projects (MTPs) across 14 countries and regions from the perspective of network-based collaboration governance. Three communal complexities that trigger the governance demand for collaborative networks are first identified, followed by an evaluation of their relationships with network structures and governance mechanisms. The findings reveal a multi-level structure within collaborative networks encompassing collaborative governance, financial governance and interorganisational governance, each of which involves distinct governance structures, processes and orchestrators. Following the above-mentioned analysis, we propose an integrative framework to underpin the typology for collaborative network governance, which enables MTPs to improve cross-sector, interorganisational collaboration. Furthermore, these findings consolidate the knowledge base for MTP development, providing a cross-disciplinary platform to guide developed, developing and undeveloped topics and the related discourse in this important field of academic endeavour.