Is there an ‘iron law’ of Big Science?
(2020) p.217-231- Abstract
- Big Science is costly and complex, and historical evidence seems to suggest that projects often get delayed and more expensive than planned. On the basis of several studies of large infrastructures such as railroads and bridges, the Danish geographer Bent Flyvbjerg has proposed that there is an “iron law” of megaprojects, meaning that they almost without exception turn out more expensive and more time-consuming to complete than originally envisaged. In this chapter, the “iron law” is applied on Big Science in Europe, to see whether it holds, and if so, to make a preliminary analysis of why. The chapter uses a sample of the 17 most expensive Research Infrastructures listed on ESFRI roadmaps, complemented by an in-depth case study of the... (More)
- Big Science is costly and complex, and historical evidence seems to suggest that projects often get delayed and more expensive than planned. On the basis of several studies of large infrastructures such as railroads and bridges, the Danish geographer Bent Flyvbjerg has proposed that there is an “iron law” of megaprojects, meaning that they almost without exception turn out more expensive and more time-consuming to complete than originally envisaged. In this chapter, the “iron law” is applied on Big Science in Europe, to see whether it holds, and if so, to make a preliminary analysis of why. The chapter uses a sample of the 17 most expensive Research Infrastructures listed on ESFRI roadmaps, complemented by an in-depth case study of the neutron facility European Spallation Source currently under construction in Lund, Sweden to investigate this matter, important for both policymaking and scholarly research. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/fbf597f2-b5bc-4b8c-a5c8-815424aea138
- author
- Hallonsten, Olof LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2020
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- Big Science and Research Infrastructures in Europe
- editor
- C. Cramer, Katharina and Hallonsten, Olof
- pages
- 217 - 231
- publisher
- Edward Elgar Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85137527548
- ISBN
- 9781839100000
- 9781839100017
- DOI
- 10.4337/9781839100017.00016
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- fbf597f2-b5bc-4b8c-a5c8-815424aea138
- date added to LUP
- 2020-05-27 09:22:01
- date last changed
- 2024-07-11 15:53:58
@inbook{fbf597f2-b5bc-4b8c-a5c8-815424aea138,
abstract = {{Big Science is costly and complex, and historical evidence seems to suggest that projects often get delayed and more expensive than planned. On the basis of several studies of large infrastructures such as railroads and bridges, the Danish geographer Bent Flyvbjerg has proposed that there is an “iron law” of megaprojects, meaning that they almost without exception turn out more expensive and more time-consuming to complete than originally envisaged. In this chapter, the “iron law” is applied on Big Science in Europe, to see whether it holds, and if so, to make a preliminary analysis of why. The chapter uses a sample of the 17 most expensive Research Infrastructures listed on ESFRI roadmaps, complemented by an in-depth case study of the neutron facility European Spallation Source currently under construction in Lund, Sweden to investigate this matter, important for both policymaking and scholarly research.}},
author = {{Hallonsten, Olof}},
booktitle = {{Big Science and Research Infrastructures in Europe}},
editor = {{C. Cramer, Katharina and Hallonsten, Olof}},
isbn = {{9781839100000}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{217--231}},
publisher = {{Edward Elgar Publishing}},
title = {{Is there an ‘iron law’ of Big Science?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781839100017.00016}},
doi = {{10.4337/9781839100017.00016}},
year = {{2020}},
}