Budget performance and governance in infrastructure project management: the case of Brazilian inland waterway transport

Abstract

Abstract Project management increasingly focuses on delivering benefits, considering institutional complexity and global challenges. Inland waterway transport (IWT) projects appear in the Brazilian Nationally Determined Contribution following the Paris Agreement. However, Brazilian IWT projects remain underdeveloped, and waterway freight transport capacity is underutilized. There is a literature gap on the links between budget performance, policy, politics, and project management. In particular, we know little about the effects of the interactions between governance mechanisms and public budget execution on the procurement of waterway transport infrastructure projects in Brazil. This paper aims to assess Brazilian waterway infrastructure budgetary execution and governance arrangements to determine the influence of these factors on policy failures. We performed a qualitative analysis of policy plans and investments made between 2014 and 2020 through interviews and documental research to examine 109 waterway infrastructure projects. All respondents pointed out the lack of planning as an obstacle to waterway projects, and 74% reported budget shortness. Nevertheless, we found USD 43.2 million available in budgets that were never utilized. The inability to invest is a bigger obstacle for Brazilian waterway projects than budget insufficiency. We recommend an adaptive management approach to allocate investments, in which stakeholders learn together to implement more effective project strategies.