Markets, experts and depoliticizing decisions on major infrastructure

Abstract

In the UK, the 2008 Planning Act aims to speed up decisions about nationally significant infrastructure projects. National infrastructure planning relies on infrastructure markets with site-specific decisions to be taken by an expert Infrastructure Planning Commission. These reforms can be understood as part of a wider process of the depoliticization of decision-making, moving decisions away from political influence and bureaucratic delay. This paper considers how far the reliance on markets and experts may undermine the search for sustainable development, which government claims to be ‘at the heart of’ planning reform; and how well this planning reform sits with the responsibilities of the contemporary state. The paper contrasts the ambition to depoliticize decisions with increasing political controversy over some major projects.

Keywords:

• infrastructure planning
• depoliticization
• distributed governance