TENUMECA · The technopolitics of nuclear megaproject pathologies, economic controversies and varieties of socioeconomic appraisal
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2019-02-01 → 2021-01-31
- EU contribution
- €158,122
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
The technopolitics of nuclear megaproject pathologies, economic controversies and varieties of socioeconomic appraisal
"Large nuclear-sector projects are a specific example of megaprojects, i.e., “large-scale, complex infrastructure projects usually commissioned by governments and delivered through partnerships between public and private organisations, with multiple partners, high uncertainties, and considerable political stakes."" This project explored the potential of multiple forms of socioeconomic appraisal, and the associated controversies, to address the ‘pathologies’ frequently faced by nuclear megaprojects. Public controversies can strengthen the evidence base for democratic governance, sustainability, and ‘social licence to operate’ of megaprojects. This can happen especially through ‘civic vigilance’, which by mobilising the virtues of mistrust and distrust, alongside the multiple forms of trust. Public controversies involving issues of trust, mistrust and distrust in science and technology, are central for current societal challenges of sustainability, with the current Covid pandemic as a prime example. By exploring the nuclear megaproject controversies – and the associated constant balancing between trust, mistrust, and distrust – the project helps to identify ways for strengthening the evidence base underpinning decision-making, in the pursuit of sustainability and democratic governance of megaprojects at large. The project examined historical and contemporary examples of controversies over nuclear-sector megaprojects, in the context of the socioeconomic appraisal practices in a number of European countries. The aim was to explore the preconditions under which controversies could play a constructive role and help address megaproject pathologies in socioeconomic appraisal, within diverse technopolitical regimes and cultures."
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Projects in the nuclear sector – such as the construction of nuclear power stations, management of high-level radioactive waste, or decommissioning of old installations – can be seen as a specific category of megaprojects. These large-scale, complex infrastructure projects are typically commissioned by governments, often delivered through public-private partnerships, and involve multiple partners, high uncertainties, and considerable political stakes. Such projects are prone to generate significant controversies, as they often run over budget, exhibit delays in planning and construction, and fail to deliver the initially foreseen benefits to the society. The controversies, so-called megaproject pathologies, and the possible means of alleviating the problems coevolve with the country-specific context – the ""technopolitical regimes” or ""technopolitical cultures"".This project will explore such pathologies, controversies and various types of appraisal in nuclear sector megaprojects in Finland, France, Spain, and the UK. Combining various strands of literature (megaproject governance and evaluation, programme and policy evaluation, ex ante assessment, pragmatic sociology, and Science and Technology Studies), and drawing on my recent and on-going research on governance and history of nuclear power, citizen engagement, the role of expertise, and megaproject evaluation, I address the following overall research question: In the light of historical and contemporary examples of controversies over nuclear economics, in the context of the socioeconomic appraisal practices in Finland, France, Spain and the UK, under which preconditions could economic controversies play a constructive role and help address megaproject pathologies in socioeconomic appraisal, within diverse technopolitical regimes and cultures? Research methods include document analysis, interviews, and semi-qualitative sociolinguistic analysis of text corpuses, especially with the help of the “Prospéro” software.""
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA · BarcelonaCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union