The Impact of Political Challenges in Project Success with Moderating Role of Stakeholder Engagement: A Case Study of Bus Rapid Transit Peshawar

Abstract

This study aims to explore the effect of political challenges on project success and how moderating role of stakeholder engagement in the case of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Peshawar. The main goal is to examine the role of political instability, the lack of laws and regulations and the lack of the government support in affecting project outcome, and to determine if stakeholder involvement can have an impact. A quantitative research design was used and survey data was gathered from 200 respondents comprising project managers, engineers, government officials, and administrative staff of the BRT project. Data was collected from a structured questionnaire with a five point likert scale. These data were analyzed by SPSS software, reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, multiple regression, and moderation analysis by PROCESS Macro (Model 1). The results showed that there is a great positive relationship between the government funding and the project success (p< 0.05) which means that a stable financial support is essential for good performance in project implementation. Political instability and legal framework are less directly related to project success. The relationship between political challenges and project success was also positively moderated by stakeholders' engagement, though not significantly. Stakeholder engagement was also found to have a significant positive effect on project performance, but not the moderating effect between political challenges and project success. This study adds to the literature by offering empirical findings related to project governance in politically sensitive contexts. In practice, it provides some ideas for policymakers and project managers on how to do a better job of planning infrastructure development, leveraging better financial considerations and the careful and thoughtful engagement of stakeholders. The results also contribute to the broader aspiration of sustainable infrastructure, which is in line with the broader aspiration of improving urban mobility and governance in the developing regions.