Bigger is better or how governments learned to stop worrying and love megaprojects

Menga, F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5712-7748 (2018) Bigger is better or how governments learned to stop worrying and love megaprojects. Studies of Transition States and Societies, 10 (1). pp. 3-14. ISSN 1736-8758

Abstract/Summary

Megaprojects, with their sheer size and their physical and emotional impact, can emerge as central elements around which political elites construct an ideology. Following a comparison of the narratives surrounding the Strait of Messina Bridge in Italy and the Rogun Dam in Tajikistan, I find that similar narratives appear in arguments for mega projects across different regime types, as advocates portray large infrastructure as a panacea for varied problems and thus justify the significant investment such projects require. Politicians in both Italy and Tajikistan have embraced images of heroic progress toward a better future to frame megaprojects as inevitable signs of progress and national well-being.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/77998
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Geography and Environmental Science
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