Marketing Mega-Projects through Discourse, Framing and Rhetoric

Il seminario sarà tenuto dal prof. Itay Fishhendler (Hebrew University of Jerusalem).

Abstract del seminario

Large infrastructure schemes have become part of our landscape. Their controversial nature often requires elaborate justifications including the use of intangible benefits. Yet, to date, few studies have systematically addressed the following questions: to what extent, by whom, and in what ways intangible benefits are used as a strategic tool when it comes to justifying contested mega-projects? The seminar examines the use of different types of arguments in mega-project justification, with a focus on the peace dividend, security, urgency and geopolitics as a political intangible benefit.

Professor Itay Fishhendler heads the Environmental and Planning Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research interests focus on environmental conflict resolution, natural resources governance, and decision-making under conditions of political and environmental uncertainties. He is a leading scholar on transboundary water institutions and Middle Eastern water policy, and has published over 45 articles in leading public policy, conflict resolution, peace studies, geography, ecological economics, and environmental journals.