Public participation performance in public construction projects of South China : a case study of the Guangzhou Games venues construction

Abstract

Over the past decade, public participation has been increasingly implemented in Chinese public construction projects (PCPs) to facilitate their smooth execution at the micro level and to promote collaborative governance at the macro level. However, only a limited number of studies have systematically evaluated participation performance in Chinese PCPs. This study aims to develop a public participation performance index (PPPI) for promoting the implementation of public participation in Chinese PCPs. An initial list of 15 key performance indicators (KPIs) was compiled through a literature review and refined by a pilot survey with selected experts. Based on this list, a questionnaire survey instrument was developed and used to collect the opinions of 192 participants with various stakeholder roles in different PCPs in South China. A composite PPPI for PCPs in South China, which consists of six out of 15 KPIs, was then constructed according to the survey results. The Guangzhou Asian Games venue construction was selected as a case study to illustrate the use of this index. The PPPI has great potential for future application in participation practices. Although this index is developed in China, the research method can be replicated in other developing countries to develop similar indices for international comparisons.