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Infrastructure Finance

Research conducted by: RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment

Commentary (12)

Paying for Infrastructure, a Taxing Issue — May 16, 2013

If the “user pays” idea is worth saving, the United States needs a different calculation, writes Liisa Ecola. Some states are looking at mileage fees. With mileage fees, you pay based on the number of miles you drive, rather than the number of gallons of gas used.

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Getting Over the Privacy Hurdle to Mileage-Based Road Fees — Jun 6, 2012

There is no need for privacy concerns to halt all discussion of new technologies to help address America's mounting transportation funding crisis, writes Liisa Ecola.

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No Data? Big Problem. — Mar 20, 2012

Good data can inform decision makers about what really works—how best to relieve congestion and improve supply-chain connectivity to make freight transportation—and hence the U.S. economy—more competitive, write Mortimer Downey, Joseph Schofer, and Johanna Zmud.

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Save Money — Hire Police — Nov 22, 2011

The high cost of crime to society suggests that adding police officers may give large cities a sizable return on their investments, write Greg Ridgeway and Paul Heaton.

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A System Under Strain — Sep 30, 2011

Our transportation future will be multi-layered and complex—bounded by transportation infrastructure that is under-funded on the one hand and ever-expanding congestion and capacity constraints on the other, writes Johanna Zmud.

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Policymakers and Public Need to Be Able to Track and Account for Federal Disaster Funds — Jul 15, 2011

If the U.S. does not improve its ability to track federal spending and develop reliable measures of effectiveness, precious federal disaster aid will continue to be at risk of being squandered, writes Agnes Gereben Schaefer.

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Among Potential Deficit Remedies, Don't Rule Out Raising Gas Tax — Dec 25, 2010

A proposed 15-cents-a-gallon gas tax is worth a second look. Among various painful options put forward in the Deficit Reduction Commission's draft report, this tax hike may be well justified, writes Martin Wachs.

The Future of Transportation Finance: A New Generation of User Fees — May 14, 2010

The principle of paying for roads and transit by charging those who use the system has served our nation well, but in its current form it will soon outlive its usefulness, writes Martin Wachs.

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Grab Vital Habitat Now: How Riverside County Can Step Up Conservation While Land Prices Are Down — Dec 1, 2008

The economic slowdown threatens to put a crimp in ambitious efforts to balance preservation, transportation improvements and development in western Riverside County. It doesn't have to. Actually, it presents an opportunity, writes Lloyd Dixon.

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Iraq Needs an Ownership Surge — Apr 13, 2008

The military surge in Iraq has created conditions favorable for long-term stability. Now a new approach to economic reconstruction is needed to sustain the hard-fought military gains, write Clare Lockhart and Joseph Konzelmann.