Macroproject Development in the Third World: An Analysis of Transnational Partnerships

During the 1970s an unprecedented number of large-scale, projects of various kinds were launched in the Third World. Many multinational corporations that were experienced in initiating such projects in industrialized nations encountered unanticipated difficulties and risks in the new settings. This book assesses the experiences of multinationals and host nations and offers guidelines for effectively implementing macroprojects in developing areas. The author synthesizes data from more than 1600 macroprojects conducted during the 1970s; statistical information was supplemented by on-site surveys and interviews. She emphasizes that the successful development of a large-scale project hinges on the effective coordination of numerous individuals and groups—owners, project management contractors, indigeneous and foreign workers, financiers, government ministeries, consumers, etc. The key to success, she concludes, lies in anticipating and managing for sociocultural discontinuities and in setting up an adequate audit of organizational effectiveness. The guidelines resulting from her analysis are intended to assist multinational corporations and their host counterparts in understanding the new arrangements and approaches needed to successfully manage the macroprojects of the future.