Interorganizational governance of transnational infrastructure programmes across multiple national environments: The south American BiOceanic Corridor as ‘the new Panama Canal’

• Transnational infrastructure programmes can be understood as a specific type of programmes • Present an unique South American case of the BiOceanic Corridor programme, which aims to construct a road connection between Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile • The study uncovers interorganizational governance mechanisms implemented to coordinate activities across multiple nations • A robust set of seven interorganizational interorganizational governance mechanisms was found, which jointly manage pressures from institutional complexity • Governance mechanisms in transnational programmes specifically must focus on cultural-cognitive elements Increasingly, global connectivity is being shaped by transnational infrastructure megaprojects, which are commonly organized as programmes relying on specific interorganizational governance mechanisms. While previous research on programmes has examined how governance mechanisms address institutional conflicts, it has largely overlooked the pressures generated by multiple national environments. This paper examines a unique case study of the transnational BiOceanic Corridor programme in South America, which aims to construct a road connection between Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile in the absence of a central coordinating authority. The study identifies a balanced configuration of seven interorganizational governance mechanisms operating across three levels. The findings extend current debates on governance of transnational infrastructure programmes by showing how governance mechanisms are distributed and enacted across levels to manage institutional complexity. In addition, the study contributes to literature on governance mechanisms by presenting an empirical case where relational governance mechanisms predominate in facilitating programme progress.