Perceptions of governments towards mitigating the environmental impacts of expressway construction projects: A case of China

Abstract

Abstract The enormous impacts of expressway construction projects (ECPs) on the natural environment worldwide have created the urgency of involving both governments and contractors in the construction process. Governments play a substantial role in motivating contractors to adopt effective technologies and management paradigms to mitigate the environmental impacts of ECPs. A proper perception of this public matter and relevant management approaches is a prerequisite for governments to fulfill such a role. Using China as a case, the purpose of this study is to examine the scope of the environmental impacts that governments perceive and the evolution of the perceptions into management approaches. Response of provincial governments to environmental impact assessment for 132 ECPs was compiled as the materials of the study. Data were retrieved from the materials by using the text mining method. The data analysis reveals that: (1) governments follow the pressure-state-response framework to express their concerns over the environmental impacts; (2) the management approaches that governments consider are embedded in the impacts; (3) governments management approaches are intended to emphasize an ecological perspective. The research findings contribute as a cornerstone for researchers to examine the performance of governments on this public affair and shed some lights on same practices in other countries.