Investigating governance of circular infrastructure projects

Abstract

Circular Economy (CE) is a new economic development paradigm that is proposed as a counterweight to the traditional “take, make, use and dispose” model, known as Linear Economy (LE). To cope with the increasingly environmental impact of construction, a transition towards CE can be the solution. To that direction, several circular initiatives in the Netherlands, have provided an array of circular infrastructure projects that have been completed or are near completion. Scholars and practitioners alike have pinpointed the significance of inter-organizational collaboration, in the development of circular projects. However, this field is inadequately researched. This research investigates collaboration, under the prism of governance, defined as the set of rules and procedures, that govern the collaboration in the project environment. The aim of this study is to identify the governance arrangements that are in place in circular infrastructure projects and provide a framework of governance that could resolve known collaboration challenges. To that direction, first a literature review is conducted, to identify governance arrangements, based on the literature on inter-organizational, network and collaborative governance and collaboration in the circular economy. The findings are utilized to develop a research framework. This framework is validated through a multiple case study, where 14 participants across 3 circular infrastructure projects are interviewed regarding the governance arrangements that are in place. As a result, an elaborated framework of governance for circular infrastructure projects is proposed. The framework contains governance arrangements across 7 different dimensions of governance, namely Goal Setting, Rewarding, Monitoring, Capability Building, Roles and Decision Making, Coordination and Motivation. Lastly, through this research recommendations towards practitioners on the field of circular infrastructure are given. Those include: Making a clear distinction between circular project and circular sector, Developing circular projects as a way to alter the sector, Generating and sharing knowledge, Investigate the capabilities of actors and select partners based on their skills and motivation, Utilize traditional forms of collaboration when the necessary capabilities are absent, Consider reputation and future business opportunities as the main incentive for participation in circular infrastructure projects, and Achieve external support through cultivating an intra- organizational circular mindset, showcasing results and achieving positive reputation.