The concept of sustainable development is gaining increasing popularity in construction industry. Previous studies have prioritized on the sustainable performance of construction projects from perspectives of economy and environment, social performance of construction projects has not drawn much attention. Social performance of construction projects refers to the extent which the projects meet the needs of current and future generations. Therefore, social performance of construction projects is critical for project success as well as social sustainability. However, a systematic framework for evaluating social performance of construction projects is absent. At the same time, existing methods are time-consuming and subject to certain degree of subjectivity. To overcome these limitations, the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) method is introduced in this paper to evaluate social performance of construction projects. A real-world hospital redevelopment project was employed as an empirical study to develop the systematic framework for social performance evaluation using FAHP method. By analyzing previous studies and the hospital redevelopment project, a systematic framework with 18 indicators of five dimensions (i.e., socio-economy development, socio-environment development, social flexibility, public service development, and environment and resource conservation) was developed. Social performance of two proposed schemes for hospital redevelopment project were evaluated using the FAHP approach. Results show Scheme 2 has a relative higher social performance sore than that of Scheme 1 and the hospital redevelopment project would improve socio-economy development, socio-environment development, social flexibility, and public service development, while it brings challenges to environment and resource conservation. More seriously, results indicate the hospital project may threaten healthcare and disease prevention of the local communities. Therefore, more measures should be taken to improve social performance of the hospital redevelopment project. The empirical study shows the proposed framework using FAHP method is viable for conducting social performance evaluation of construction projects, which could be helpful to improve social performance, reduce negative social impacts, and contribute to the social sustainability of construction projects.

The rapid economic growth and massive demands on infrastructure in Central Asia have attracted a growing level of interest from international contractors. However, international construction projects in Central Asia present significant political risks. A total of 20 political risk factors were identified through a critical literature review and consolidated by pilot studies with 10 international project managers. Appraisals of these 20 factors from relevant professionals were collected using questionnaires, 127 of which were collected. Next, a political risk assessment model consisting of six components was established by confirmatory factor analysis. Based on data from various secondary sources, the political risk index (PRI) of five Central Asian countries was assessed, and their risk grades were measured using Ward’s method. The results indicate obvious opportunities and political risks in the Central Asian market. Choosing appropriate strategies enables international contractors to seize these opportunities and mitigate these risks. Because few studies have investigated political risk in Central Asia, this study is a useful reference for managing the political risks for international contractors when expanding into this emerging market.

International construction projects are plagued with political risk, and international construction enterprises (ICEs) must manage this risk to survive. However, little attention has been devoted to political risk management strategies in international construction projects. To fill this research gap, a total of 27 possible strategies were identified through a comprehensive literature review and validated by a pilot survey with 10 international experts. Appraisals of these 27 strategies by relevant professionals were collected using questionnaires, 155 of which were returned. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to explore the interrelationships among these 27 strategies. The results show that all of the 27 strategies are important for political risk management in international construction projects. Moreover, these 27 strategies were clustered into six components, namely, (1) making correct decisions, (2) conducting favorable negotiations, (3) completing full preparations, (4) shaping a good environment, (5) reducing unnecessary mistakes, and (6) obtaining a reasonable response. The 6 components can be regarded as 6 typical management techniques that contribute to political risk management in the preproject phase, project implementation phase, and postevent phases. The findings may help practitioners gain an in‐depth understanding of political risk management strategies in international construction projects and provide a useful reference for ICEs to manage political risks when venturing outside their home countries.

Political risk is one of the most prominent dangers for International Construction Companies (ICCs) to deal with in overseas countries. Despite considerable studies on political risk management in international business, few have been focused on quantitative political risk assessment methods in international construction projects. Thus, this study aims to establish a quantitative model for assessing political risk in such projects. Through the comprehensive literature review and the pilot interviews with 10 industry experts, 36 political risk source variables were first identified. Then, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 155 respondents, and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to group these variables into six exogenous driver components and six endogenous vulnerability components. Subsequently, a quantitative assessment model was developed, based on the vulnerability theory and the Cannikin Law, and validated by 294 cases obtained from 45 Chinese Construction Companies (CCCs). This study incorporated the vulnerability variables and the Cannikin Law in political risk assessment and provides ICCs with a more effective approach to assess political risk using the available data from international research institutes and project systems. The application of the model can also facilitate in political risk warning and management in the international construction business. As the model proposed in this study can be applied to ICCs in different countries, the findings and outcomes of this study can contribute to the global body of knowledge of political risk management.

International construction enterprises (ICEs) have been plagued with political risks in the global market. To ensure the success of political risk management, it is necessary to comprehend the political risks in international construction projects. This study aims at exploring the political risk paths in international construction projects. The preliminary political risk factors and paths were proposed from the literature review. A survey questionnaire was developed to collect political risk cases faced by Chinese construction enterprises (CCEs) performing international construction projects, and 264 valid cases were received and analyzed for this study. Adopting the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) method, 6 macrofactors (“sociopolitical stability” (A), “legal and regulatory” (B), “social safety” (C), “economy performance” (D), “attitude towards foreigners” (E), and “international environment” (F)) and 2 microfactors (“low exposure” (G) and “capability of enterprises” (H)) were identified. Moreover, the results of path analysis illustrated that 7 factors (A, B, C, D, E, G, and H) had the significant direct negative effect on “risk consequences” and 3 factors (A, D, and F) had the indirect negative effect on “risk consequences.” The findings from this study help practitioners gain an in‐depth understanding of political risks in international construction projects and provide a useful reference for ICEs to manage political risks when venturing outside their home countries.

After temporary competitive advantage (TCA) being proposed, this concept has received a lot of attention from academia and industry. For international HSR contractors, how to form their TCA and win out over the competition for new projects is crucial, while only a few studies focus on this issue. This research aims to develop a TCA system that reflects the characteristics of high-speed rail (HSR) contractors in the corporation and project levels. At first, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to explore and examine the key drivers and their relationships with contractors’ TCA. The results revealed that experience-mining advantage was the most critical factor of the six common factors. Next, common factors were divided into three dimensions and discussed in-depth, including resource-based TCA (i.e., technical resource and social image) which had the highest significance, followed by performance-based TCA (experience-mining advantage and risk-controlling performance), and action-based TCA (i.e., funding strategy and organizational management). Finally, two case study projects were selected to investigate the competitive situation between CRH (China Railway High-speed) and Shinkansen (Japan) in the international HSR market. This study not only provides suggestions for contractors to improve their TCA in international HSR projects, but also contributes to the theoretical framework for the TCA theory.