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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the process of translation of an institutionalized governance framework as adapted to a major project in practice. Although infrastructure projects have been studied for decades, most studies have emphasized economic or contingency-based perspectives. Of those studies, some researchers have focused on governance frameworks for public infrastructure projects, and their impact for shaping the front-end phase of those projects. Yet, little is known about the way actors translate and enact those governance frameworks into practice. Understanding this translation process will lead to a better understanding of the overall performance of major infrastructure projects.

This qualitative research is based on a case study of one public infrastructure project in the health sector in Quebec, Canada. Through non-participant observation and interviews, the planning phase of the project is presented as it unfolds.

The process of translation is presented, from the ostensive, institutionalized governance framework, to appropriation into performative practices, which resulted in 12 specific practices: four “structuring” practices at the institutional level, five “normalizing” practices at the organizational level and three “facilitating” practices at the project level.

The main contribution of this paper is to enrich our understanding of the governance of major public infrastructure projects with process- and practice-based theories.

The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology to evaluate the capital investments in infrastructure projects managed by private operators considering uncertainties in the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure components.

The methodology described in this paper is based on two major sources of information: deterioration curves of the infrastructure systems obtained from Markov chain models and the value of flexibility obtained from a real options analysis.

Using this methodology, it is possible to determine whether there is value if project managers adopt flexible strategies in determining capital investments. These strategies refer to the opportunities of postponing, deferring or canceling capital investments required to maintain the operation of the infrastructure systems.

The model utilizes Monte Carlo simulation and real options analysis to overcome the complexities associated with the solution of the differential equations that represent the variability of the main factors in the project cash flow.

The methodology presented in this paper can be used by public officials, private investors, and asset managers to determine the value of flexibility associated with the strategies required to maintain the operation of infrastructure assets.

The purpose of this paper is to help domestic private enterprises (DPEs) identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) in developing infrastructure projects in China.

The paper draws on extensive literature reviews coupled with brainstorming and interviews methodologies to compile a list of SWOT factors for DPEs in developing infrastructures. To validate the significance of the identified SWOT list, a questionnaire survey is thus carried out.

The paper identifies 16 strengths, 15 weaknesses, 16 opportunities, and 21 threats for DPEs in developing infrastructure projects in China. The opinions of respondents from different sectors are sought and evaluated to obtain the relative significance of these factors. A set of major SWOT hypotheses is then derived using factor analysis.

The paper is limited to identifying SWOT factors in common, therefore the next step should be proposing an adjustment framework to support decision marking.

These findings should provide a valuable reference not only for DPEs but also for foreign investors who are planning to invest in infrastructure projects in China.

The investors in both rounds of infrastructure investments in China in the last two decades have limitations. Foreign investors acting as the major player in the first round usually charge higher and prefer operating projects in more developed regions, while state‐owned enterprises as the principal player in the second round are inefficient in the operation and management, which largely restrained the advantages of public‐private partnership model. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the potential of DPEs, another potential major player in developing infrastructure projects. To this end, this paper provides valuable information through a comprehensive SWOT analysis to the DPEs.

eLSEwise is a User Reference Project under the EU ESPRIT programme. The objective of eLSEwise is to analyse the Large Scale Engineering (LSE) sector in terms of IT usage and business perspectives. Based on an analysis of the LSE sector today, the trends in the LSE worldwide market, the trends in the IT industry and a future LSE vision are defined. A ‘road map’ guiding the European LSE industry from where it is today to where the vision sets the goal 10–15 years ahead has been developed. This paper is about the approach adopted by the Danish National Railway Agency (DNRA) in dealing with infrastructure projects. DNRA represents one of the target business areas of eLSEwise: transportation. DNRA is the owner and manager of the Danish national railway infrastructure. Like most European railway companies DNRA is facing major changes, moving from monopoly into a profitable, self‐sustained business. At the same time major infrastructure projects are planned and executed, aiming at the creation of a trans‐European high speed network, and at the general revitalization of the European railway sector. After a presentation of DNRA's business and technical context and major current projects, the paper discusses the eLSEwise perspective of life‐cycle oriented infrastructure management and the integrational aspects related to execution of a major infrastructure project and subsequent facility management. Finally, the paper identifies the major gaps between the current situation and the eLSEwise vision of life‐cycle oriented total management of large scale engineering facilities like railway sections.

Unlike manufacturing and research and developments, major infrastructure projects rarely emphasize or drive their objectives on the basis of innovation. This is in part because of a risk-averse culture, yet conceivably great benefits and opportunities are being lost because of this behavior.

The case for focusing on innovation in infrastructure projects is that the reasons driving innovation are not fully understood, and this impedes the effective implementation of lessons learned for the numerous innovative projects into practice more generally. The purpose of this study was to discover how innovation is produced and captured in major infrastructure projects in Australia and to understand how innovation may be replicated for future projects through refinement of design, project management, finance and procurement.

Engineering and project managers may find this paper helpful to better understand how innovation might happen in infrastructure projects and what different forms it can take.

The findings of this study demonstrate that people and culture drive consistent successful infrastructure outcomes more than simply the development of new products or processes.

In successfully meeting city and metropolitan growth, sustainable development is compulsory. Sustainability is a must-focus for any project, particularly for large and mega rail infrastructure. This paper aims to investigate to what degree social, environmental and economic factors influence the government when planning sustainable rail infrastructure projects. To respond to such a matter, this paper focuses on two Australian mega-rail projects: the South West Rail Link (SWRL) and the Mernda Rail Extension (MRE).

As the basis of an experimental evaluation framework strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and factor analysis were used. These two methods were specifically selected as comparative tools for SWRL and SWRL projects, to measure their overall sustainability effect.

Using factor analysis, in the MRE, the factors of network capacity, accessibility, employment and urban planning were seen frequently throughout the case study. However, politics and economic growth had lower frequencies throughout this case study. This difference between the high-weighted factors is likely a key element that determined the SWRL to be more sustainable than the MRE. The SWOT analysis showed the strengths the MRE had over the SWRL such as resource use and waste management, and natural habitat preservation. These two analyses have shown that overall, calculating the sustainability levels of a project can be subjective, based on the conditions surrounding various analysis techniques.

This paper first introduces SWRL and MRE projects followed by a discussion about their overall sustainable development. Both projects go beyond the traditional megaprojects' goal of improving economic growth by developing and enhancing infrastructure. Globally, for such projects, sustainability measures are now considered alongside the goal of economic growth. Second, SWOT and factor analysis are undertaken to further evaluate the complexity of such projects. This includes their overall sustainable development vision alignment with environmental, economic and social factors.

Recent United Nations Climate Change Conferences recognise extreme climate change of heatwaves, floods and droughts as threatening risks to the resilience and success of public–private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects. Such conferences together with available project reports and empirical studies recommend project managers and practitioners to adopt smart technologies and develop robust measures to tackle climate risk exposure. Comparatively, artificial intelligence (AI) risk management tools are better to mitigate climate risk, but it has been inadequately explored in the PPP sector. Thus, this study aims to explore the tools and roles of AI in climate risk management of PPP infrastructure projects.

Systematically, this study compiles and analyses 36 peer-reviewed journal articles sourced from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and PubMed.

The results demonstrate deep learning, building information modelling, robotic automations, remote sensors and fuzzy logic as major key AI-based risk models (tools) for PPP infrastructures. The roles of AI in climate risk management of PPPs include risk detection, analysis, controls and prediction.

For researchers, the findings provide relevant guide for further investigations into AI and climate risks within the PPP research domain.

This article highlights the AI tools in mitigating climate crisis in PPP infrastructure management.

This article provides strong arguments for the utilisation of AI in understanding and managing numerous challenges related to climate change in PPP infrastructure projects.

Despite the fact that recent anthropological interest in infrastructure has done much to illuminate the infrastructure asset as an assemblage of actors, technologies and ideas, an interdisciplinary approach is required to unpack how the infrastructure project comes together as an assemblage and to define the role that financial technologies and discourses play in shaping it. Here, an interdisciplinary approach is applied to a novel infrastructure asset, London's Thames Tideway Tunnel, in order to show how multiple actors and visions of the world are brought together to make the infrastructure asset come to fruition. The paper concludes that this interdisciplinary approach to infrastructure can allow us to keep multiple sides of the infrastructure project in sight simultaneously. This includes both the creation of a rhetorical vision and spectacle around the asset, and the underlying financial arrangements that bind it together. If we do so, we can understand how new infrastructural forms utilise particular financial technologies and ideas to change the relationship between the public and the private, and between consumers and providers, and act towards the creation of a new ‘public good’ that normalises private provision.

Rede Alta Velocidade, SA (RAVE), the state-owned company responsible for planning and developing a major high-speed rail project in Portugal, must persuade both public officials and lenders that the project is worth undertaking. It must also make a recommendation on the appropriate organizational form for the enterprise. Specifically, it must determine the role of the Portuguese government in financing and operating the high-speed rail network, with options ranging from full development and management of the project by the public sector to completely private development and management. Lying in between these two polar cases were a variety of hybrid models, often referred to as public-private partnerships (PPPs). Using data in the case, students have the opportunity to perform a benefit-cost analysis of the project. They also must think carefully about the optimal role of the government in a major new infrastructure project.

After analyzing and discussing the case, students will be able to:

• Understand the nature of a global public good

• Perform a back-of-the-envelope benefit-cost analysis of polio eradication

• Discuss the appropriate strategy for eradicating an infectious disease

• Apply game theory to analyzing which countries would be likely to contribute funds toward global polio eradication

• Discuss the role of private organizations in the provision of global public goods

Understand the nature of a global public good

Perform a back-of-the-envelope benefit-cost analysis of polio eradication

Discuss the appropriate strategy for eradicating an infectious disease

Apply game theory to analyzing which countries would be likely to contribute funds toward global polio eradication

Discuss the role of private organizations in the provision of global public goods