Accountable Megaproject Decision-making

Presentation:
Accountable Megaproject Decision-making
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Summary of presentation

Lack of accountability is a cause of poor performance in many megaprojects. The presentation first documents and explains the problem and then develops cures to mitigate it. The focus will be on incentive alignment and better governance structures. Both private sector accountability and public sector accountability will be covered, and especially how they are made to bear on megaprojects.
 

Autobiography

Bent Flyvbjerg is Professor of Planning at the Department of Development and Planning at Aalborg University, Denmark. He is Doctor of Technology (Dr.Techn.) from Aalborg University (1991) and holds the Ph.D. in Urban Geography and Planning. He was twice a Visiting Fulbright Scholar to the USA, where he did research at the University of California at Los Angeles and Berkeley and at Harvard. He has been a Visiting Fellow with the European University Institute in Florence. His most recent books are Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition (Cambridge University Press, 2003) and Making Social Science Matter (Cambridge University Press, 2001). His books and articles have been translated into 15 languages. His main research interest is urban policy and planning. He is currently conducting research on megaprojects, phronetic planning research, and the relationship between truth and lying in policy and planning.

Bent Flyvbjerg has two decades of practical experience from working as a policy and planning adviser and consultant to more than 30 public and private organizations, including the EU Commission, the United Nations, national and local government, auditors general, and private companies. His work covers both developed and developing nations. He has been adviser to the government of Denmark in formulating national policies for transportation, environment, and research. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the Danish National Science Council Distinguished Research Scholarship (equivalent to the MacArthur Fellowship). In 2002, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark conferred upon Bent Flyvbjerg the Knighthood of the Order of the Dannebrog for his professional accomplishments.