Bargaining Space: Superficies Development under “Promotion of Private Participation”
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Lin, Yen-tung
Abstract
I develop an institutional analysis of BOT (Build, Operate, Transfer) and Superficies Auction, both of which a form of public land development under the “Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects”—a “public-private partnerships” (PPPs) policy in Taiwan. Applying insights from organizational theories and economic sociology, I view the institution of superficies development inaugurated by Taipei City government as a field consists of transactions and relational works through which the actors, including the bureaucrats, consulting and construction companies, citizens and their representatives, routinely interact with each other via certain organizational forms, techniques and scripts. A brief history and dynamics of the field is also provided. Findings are to the surprise of the theory of capital accumulation and urban regime, nor do they support the rent seeking structure found in many other cities in Taiwan. The institutionalization of superficies development reflects the fiscal, developmental and legitimate needs of the post-authoritative KMT government since the late 1980s, through which a kind of loosely coupled “arm’s-length embeddedness” has emerged between the highly autonomous Taipei City government and construction companies. Such embeddedness is characterized by both its solidarity symbolized by contracts between the government and the construction companies and its tension that can be effectively reduced by institutional buffers such as review committees. Therefore, order and systematic exclusion of citizens are made up, although the public and private sectors are by no means well coordinated to facilitate developmental projects and instead constantly mobilize their own resources trying to manipulate existing rules according to their sensemaking of the present agendas of the field.
Subjects
field
superficies
loose-coupling
arm’s-length embeddedness
Type
thesis