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Pathways to Better Project Delivery: The Link Between Capacity Factors and Urban Infrastructure Projects in India

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  • An, Yehyun
  • Garvin, Michael J.
  • Hall, Ralph P.

Abstract

This study focuses on the concept of capacity development (CD) that has been accepted widely in the international development community, but has not been investigated extensively by empirical studies in academic research. While empirical evidence is essential to understanding causality between capacity and project outcomes, past CD research primarily focuses on case studies. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, this research analyzes 126 urban infrastructure projects in India that were funded by a national urban renewal program to find which combinations of capacity factors at the enabling environment, organizational, and individual level led to successful or unsuccessful project delivery. The results identify six pathways to success and three pathways to failure and reveal the complex causality between capacity factors and project delivery. This study moves beyond theoretical discussions found in existing CD literature by providing an example of how CD can be studied in the context of a real-world development program, and contributes to our understanding of how capacity is interconnected with project delivery.

Suggested Citation

  • An, Yehyun & Garvin, Michael J. & Hall, Ralph P., 2017. "Pathways to Better Project Delivery: The Link Between Capacity Factors and Urban Infrastructure Projects in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 393-405.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:94:y:2017:i:c:p:393-405
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.02.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Yehyun An & Ralph P. Hall & Taekwan Yoon, 2021. "The Complex Relationship between Capacity and Infrastructure Project Delivery: The Case of the Indian National Urban Renewal Mission," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
    2. Rocío Rodríguez-Rivero & Isabel Ortiz-Marcos & Javier Romero & Luis Ballesteros-Sánchez, 2020. "Finding the Links between Risk Management and Project Success: Evidence from International Development Projects in Colombia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Kim, Jung Eun, 2018. "Technological capacity building through energy aid: Empirical evidence from renewable energy sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 449-458.
    4. Kablan P. Kacou & Lavagnon A. Ika & Lauchlan T. Munro, 2022. "Fifty years of capacity building: Taking stock and moving research forward," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(4), pages 215-232, October.
    5. Wang, Ge & Li, Xiaoqiu & Gao, Yingjie & Zeng, Chen & Wang, Bingkun & Li, Xiangyu & Li, Xintong, 2023. "How does land consolidation drive rural industrial development? Qualitative and quantitative analysis of 32 land consolidation cases in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    6. Zinda, John Aloysius & Zhang, Zhiming, 2019. "Explaining heterogeneous afforestation outcomes: How community officials and households mediate tree cover change in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 385-398.

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