Strategic

  1. Structured assessment of BRT performance: Develop methodologies to enhance a comparative performance assessment, building on the existing databases and benchmarks, and promoting the creation of “clubs of BRT cities” who adhere to the new methodologies.
  2. Exploring the complexity of policy design: Develop a formal structure for retrospective analysis of the various policy components interplaying, and finally a dynamic systems model to search for well-designed and promising policy packages. This dynamic systems model could later evolve towards a game with multiple stakeholders acting as independent agents.
  3. Implementing BRT: the institutional dimensions: Gain a better understanding of key choices and trade-offs faced by BRT implementers regarding (a) its relationship with incumbent service operators, and (b) civil society actors, such as neighbourhood and environmental groups.  Examine how BRT projects change over time from their inception to their implementation in “real life” urban settings, including understanding the institutional devices and negotiation strategies implemented to cope with conflict and integration.  This largely qualitative study draws from the method of structured, focused comparison of case studies.