ŠTA ZNAMO O MEGAPROJEKTIMA U SRBIJI
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT MEGA-PROJECTS IN SERBIA

Summary/Abstract: In Serbia, several projects which can be characterized as mega-projects are currently being implemented. The implementation of mega-projects can serve as a means of consolidation of neoliberal authoritarianism, (re)centralization, and significant degradation of the institutional system protecting the public interest in planning, or the degradation of the public’s right to participate in decision-making. As a “proto-democracy,” Serbia is particularly vulnerable to the harmful socio-economic consequences of implementing this mechanism of urban development. This systematic literature review explores the scientific knowledge on the planning and implementation of mega-projects in Belgrade and Serbia, contributing to understanding the impact of mega-projects on the transformation of the institutional framework of urban planning in Serbia. The results of the content analysis of twelve articles are presented through criteria related to the social context of implementing mega-projects in Serbia, namely through an analysis of mechanisms ensuring the legitimacy of mega-projects in Serbia, methods and consequences of decision-making, the relationship between the state and investors (politics and big capital), benefits of mega-projects, and an analysis of mechanisms to control the negative effects of implementing mega-projects. As a result of critical comparative analysis of the literature, possible further research directions have been proposed towards determining the existence of any differences in planning and implementation of mega-projects regarding the origin of the main investors, considering the political and social circumstances that make Serbia and the Balkans strategically important in the global redistribution of political and economic influence. Also, there is an indication of the need to expand the scope of research to include any mega-projects planned after the start of the implementation of the Belgrade Waterfront project, to contribute to determining the real character and longterm consequences of the mechanisms activated for the purpose of implementing the Belgrade Waterfront project on the transformation of the institutional framework of planning in Serbia.

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