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Infrastructure Finance

Political Reform Movements
commentary
The Arab Spring in the Upside-Down
Jordan R. Reimer
Nov 21, 2019
The World Post
Where the original Arab Spring protests removed authoritarian leaders, the current demonstrators in Iraq and Lebanon are trying to topple popularly elected governments. This could have dramatic implications for the future of representative democracy in the Middle East.
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Palestinian Territories
commentary
Development with No Political Framework Is a Car Without an Engine
C. Ross Anthony, Charles P. Ries @charles_ries
Jul 9, 2019
RealClearWorld
Pushing an economic development plan for the Middle East without addressing the political issues specific to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is like trying to sell a car without an engine. Why? Because an economic strategy that doesn't address core political issues would have no governing entity to put it into effect.
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United States
blog
State of the Union 2019: Insights from RAND
Feb 6, 2019
To shed light on a wide range of topics that figured in President Trump's second State of the Union address, we've rounded up insights from some of RAND's objective and nonpartisan research, analysis, and expertise.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
The Long Game on Infrastructure
Debra Knopman, Martin Wachs
Feb 20, 2018
U.S. News & World Report
The Trump administration recently announced its Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America. With its lack of new federal funding, the plan may not be the best path to fixing America's most serious regional, national, and long-term problems.
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United States
blog
Trump's First State of the Union: Insights from RAND
Jan 31, 2018
RAND research, analysis, and expertise provide context for the issues discussed in the president's first State of the Union address, including infrastructure, North Korea, and opioids.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
How Federal Policy Could Help Water and Wastewater Utilities
Debra Knopman, David Catt
Jan 16, 2018
Inside Sources
A targeted approach could help the federal government address the root causes of infrastructure problems more effectively than a spending initiative that simply spreads money around with the hope that more spending might do some good.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
China's Field of Dreams in Pakistan
Rafiq Dossani, Niels Erich
Oct 16, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
China is four years into joint planning and construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a vast economic development package. Beneath the surface, Beijing is testing a new "build it and they will come" model for delivering economic development and foreign aid.
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International Economic Relations
commentary
The Driving Force Behind China's Ambitious 'Belt and Road Initiative'
Rafiq Dossani
May 30, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
By committing trillions of dollars to infrastructure projects across 60 countries, China could transform the lagging economies of the region and place itself in the enviable position of being Asia's true pivot. But the new Silk Road blueprint presents risks as well as benefits.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Regulating Infrastructures in the Tropics
Christian Van Stolk, Daniel Schweppenstedde, Martin Lodge, Julia Batistella-Machado
May 26, 2017
The RAND Blog
Regulation helps address the demands of investors who are seeking assurances that their investments are safe, while also reassuring democratically elected governments. Regulatory reform could help Brazil attract more private investment in its infrastructure.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
The Road Ahead: Rebuilding the Country's Infrastructure in the Trump Administration Era
Liisa Ecola
Nov 14, 2016
The RAND Blog
Policymakers generally agree on the need to rebuild America's infrastructure. But the country is far behind in this area. Why? Transportation projects take time and money. And it's hard to predict how a project will affect its surroundings.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
The Olympic Legacy — What Can Rio Learn?
Richard Warnes
Aug 3, 2016
StratScope
Rio will spend $14.4 billion on the Olympics. Like other host cities, it hopes to achieve an “Olympic legacy” to ensure that this investment pays dividends after the games and provides long-term economic, social, sporting, and cultural benefits.
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Transportation Economics
commentary
Pay as You Go
Liisa Ecola
Jul 22, 2015
Politico
Using vehicle miles traveled as a means of distributing the cost of maintaining America's roads and bridges may not be the only answer, but it represents the kind of innovative thinking that is necessary at a time when this sector of the American transportation infrastructure is desperately in need of a fix.
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Transportation Funding
commentary
How to Improve Oregon's Mileage-Fee Experiment
Liisa Ecola, Laura Patton
Jul 7, 2015
The Oregonian
Oregon is rolling out the nation's first large-scale pilot to examine switching to a mileage fee instead of the gas tax. The trial is a welcome next step toward understanding how mileage fees can be deployed.
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Flooding
commentary
Future of Coastal Flooding
Debra Knopman, Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Jordan R. Fischbach @fischinwater
Feb 25, 2015
The Hill
President Obama's executive order that directs federal agencies to plan and build for higher flood levels as they construct new projects in flood-prone regions will affect hundreds of billions of dollars of future public works projects. In an ideal world, planners would estimate the benefits and costs for each project, taking into account everything from the details of the local landscape to the potential for adaptive responses over time.
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Russia
commentary
Crimean Adventure Will Cost Russia Dearly
Larry Hanauer
Sep 8, 2014
The Moscow Times
Moscow may have overreached, as it appears ill-prepared to come up with the necessary funds to cover Crimea-related costs. Infrastructure improvements, development aid, government operations, and other costs will be a multi-billion drain -- as much as $4.5 billion per year.
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International Trade
commentary
In Africa: U.S. Promotes Security, China Does Business
Larry Hanauer, Lyle J. Morris @LyleJMorris
May 31, 2014
Reuters, The Great Debate blog
Africans require both security and economic growth. Global powers like China and the United States do not need to choose between the two when focusing their foreign policy efforts.
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Gasoline
commentary
Paying for Infrastructure, a Taxing Issue
Liisa Ecola
May 16, 2013
The RAND Blog
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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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Getting Over the Privacy Hurdle to Mileage-Based Road Fees
Liisa Ecola
Jun 6, 2012
DC.STREETSBLOG.org
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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Transportation Economics
commentary
No Data? Big Problem.
Mortimer Downey, Joseph Schofer, Johanna Zmud
Mar 20, 2012
DC.STREETSBLOG.org
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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Law Enforcement
commentary
Save Money Hire Police
Greg Ridgeway, Paul Heaton
Nov 22, 2011
Los Angeles Times
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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Highway Transportation
commentary
A System Under Strain
Johanna Zmud
Sep 30, 2011
Innovation America, Aug/Sept 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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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Follow the Money
Agnes Gereben Schaefer
Jul 14, 2011
The Montgomery Advertiser
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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Gasoline
commentary
Among Potential Deficit Remedies, Don't Rule Out Raising Gas Tax
Martin Wachs
Dec 25, 2010
Detroit Free Press
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, write Martin Wachs.
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commentary
The Future of Transportation Finance: A New Generation of User Fees
Martin Wachs
May 14, 2010
Resources for the Future
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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commentary
Grab Vital Habitat Now: How Riverside County Can Step Up Conservation While Land Prices Are Down
Lloyd Dixon
Dec 1, 2008
The Press-Enterprise
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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Middle East
commentary
Iraq Needs an Ownership Surge
Joseph Konzelmann, Clare Lockhart
Apr 13, 2008
Washington Times
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.
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commentary
Paying for Our Transportation Needs
Martin Wachs
Oct 25, 2006
San Diego Union-Tribune
Published commentary by RAND staff: Paying for Our Transportation Needs, in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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commentary
Planning for Palestine
Steven Simon, C. Ross Anthony
May 22, 2005
Baltimore Sun
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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Quoted

Complex, opaque technologies (like AI, machine learning and other algorithm systems) provide significant benefits to society. They help speed up complex decisions, enable wider access to services, and in many cases make better decisions than humans. But those benefits do not obviate the need for accountability and transparency.
Osonde A. Osoba

Co-Director, Center for Scalable Computing and Analysis
Source: The RAND Blog
Offering ambitious future targets for decarbonization and climate resilience is a good start. But unless a climate plan is comprehensive, includes contingency plans, and opens the floodgates for change, it can't and shouldn't be taken seriously.
Robert J. Lempert

Director, Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition
Source: GreenBiz.com