Is there an ‘iron law’ of Big Science?

• 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.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Sociologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Sociology (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap -- Studier av offentlig förvaltning (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science -- Public Administration Studies (hsv//eng)

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