| The main purpose of almost all the public infrastructure projects is to develop an effective and efficient project quality product that is in benefit to the legitimate user's needs and satisfy their demands and expectations.The construction industry is one of the key sectors that facilitate sustainable economic and social development in the region.Currently,community development mechanisms are adopted by many developed and developing nations,aimed at enhancing economic growth and quality of life along with the social welfare of the local community.The problem of project delays in the construction industry is a global phenomenon,Pakistan is a country that most of the infrastructure projects are delayed,and the success of the project rate is very low,especially the public infrastructure projects.A project is initiated by the need of the community.In order to fulfill the community needs and benefits,the primary stakeholder ultimate purpose is to complete the projects within the expected duration and budgets and expected quality targets.Therefore,it is essential to identify the critical delaying factors and also explore how these delays impact on the local community.Furthermore,it is also imperative to understand the community participation in planning and decision-making process to better execute the public infrastructure proects.However,the lack of attention to the impact of public infrastructure project delays on the local community and empirically analyze the mediating influence of community participation on the relationship between government's support,organizational innovativeness and project success practices of public construction industries in Pakistan.This research,therefore,suggested that delay in public projects adversely impact on local community socio-economic benefits and community participation is a significant mediator through which organizational innovativeness and government support can significantly influence project success.Empirical support for the argument was derived from the data collected from local communities and public construction industries practitioners in Pakistan.A questionnaire with related factors identified from the literature was sent to targeted respondents.The methodological approach was survey-based research,using statistical methods of ranking analysis with relative importance index(RII)technique,t-test,and ANOVA in SPSS as well as structural equation modeling using smart-PLS version 3.2.7.A total of 1118 combined questionnaires were collected from the rural community and public construction practitioners from Pakistan,which showed a good response rate of 61.42%.The results revealed that most of the public infrastructure projects are delayed during the project life-cycle,and such delays are measured to be most recurring problems in the public construction sector in Pakistan.However,the impact of construction delays is not limited to the construction industry,but also affects the overall economic and social condition in the region.Similarly,the results also showed that delays in public projects have a greater impact on the local community as well as project performance and managing and engaging legitimate stakeholders will help manage the benefits and needs by reducing irrational planning and real value in the project decision making process.The local community can only improve themselves by participating in the planning and decision-making process which influence their socio-economic welfare.Moreover,the study results further showed that community participation is a significant mediator through which government support and organizational innovativeness can positively influence public infrastructure project success or performance.Accordingly,this study developed a community participation model to better achieve public project key objectives and goals as well as successful construction projects.Public project success cannot be accomplished without the explicit consent and good degree of collaboration from the local community as they are the end-users of the project.With thorough consideration paid to the findings of this research,it is anticipated that the success of the public infrastructure projects would be increased.This study provides a better understanding of project delay,community perception on project delays and community participation in project planning and decision-making process to better achieve project success.The study findings would be useful for policymakers and executing industries in improved planning and mitigating the delay effects as well as the community participation is imperative in future public infrastructure projects.Moreover,the study findings are a useful reference for further research on this topic. |
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