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Infrastructure Finance

Biosurveillance
commentary
National Wastewater Tracking Could Help Us Stay Ahead of COVID-19—but Congress Cut the Funds
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
Mar 24, 2022
San Francisco Chronicle
For years, medical experts have used wastewater to track the spread of diseases. The National Wastewater Surveillance System has the potential to significantly change the way we fight COVID-19 as well as future pandemics, bacterial diseases, and viruses. But building up the robustness of a wastewater surveillance system will take financial support, and it's not clear Congress will provide it.
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Banking and Financial Services
commentary
More Than Green: Leveraging Green Bonds to Invest in Greater Climate Resilience
Karishma V. Patel, Michelle E. Miro
Nov 24, 2021
The RAND Blog
The significance of green bonds may depend not only on having a lot of them but also on carefully developing, investing, and tracking projects against the larger goal of climate resilience.
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Banking and Financial Services
commentary
The Growing Green Bond Market Could Plateau. How Can It Grow Further?
David Catt, Nihar Chhatiawala, Mark Stalczynski
Nov 23, 2021
The RAND Blog
If green bonds are a viable tool to reduce emissions and adapt infrastructure to the effects of climate change, how can governments encourage the issuance, sales, and growth in the share of green bonds in the total bond market?
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Green Bonds Can Leave Issuers in the Red
Brian Wong, Ismael Arciniegas Rueda
Nov 22, 2021
The RAND Blog
To achieve the Biden administration's blueprint for solar energy and focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation, green bonds may be worth considering. But, like any other financing instrument, they may be best considered through a cost-benefit lens.
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Wildfires
commentary
Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management
Jim Whittington, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Jay Balagna
Aug 16, 2021
The Hill
The fire seasons that have been scorching huge areas and wiping entire towns from the map appear to be the future. Accepting that wildland fires are a part of our environment and working to live with fires rather than continuously fighting against them may be the most responsible path forward.
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Prison Reform
commentary
Defund Prisons, Not Police
Shawn D. Bushway @BushwayShawn, Nidhi Kalra
Aug 9, 2021
Los Angeles Times
The United States spends billions on prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities. New lows in incarceration rates present a chance to shift resources away from costly correctional facilities and toward education, job training, transportation, and other community services.
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Critical Infrastructure Protection
commentary
New Thinking to Translate Infrastructure Dollars into Resilience
Benjamin Lee Preston @bl_preston, Michelle E. Miro, Andrew Lauland
Jun 2, 2021
The RAND Blog
Infrastructure investments the United States makes today to recover from the pandemic can help boost resilience for the future. We will need to think beyond what we've done in the past to ensure that these investments can continue to protect the nation from shifting threats in the future.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Progress on Infrastructure, but the Devil May Be in the Details
Debra Knopman, Benjamin M. Miller
May 21, 2021
The Hill
Negotiations are underway between the White House and Congress about the scope of investment in infrastructure and how to pay for it. But reaching a compromise on spending may not be enough to ensure that the spending will produce results as intended.
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Critical Infrastructure Protection
commentary
U.S. Military Power Comes from More Than Just the Defense Budget
Miranda Priebe @MirandaPriebe, Bryan Rooney, Grant Johnson
May 10, 2021
Defense News
With U.S. domestic challenges ranging from the ongoing pandemic to long-delayed infrastructure investments, now is a good time to consider spending that provides both domestic and national security benefits. Infrastructure spending offers one such example.
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United States
blog
President Biden's First Address to Congress: Insights from RAND
Apr 29, 2021
President Joe Biden addressed a joint session of Congress, summarizing his administration's early COVID-19 response and outlining plans that aim to loosen the pandemic's year-long grip on a weary nation. The speech reflected the fact that the United States faces policy challenges across a wide range of domains.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Navigating Speed Bumps to a Possible Federal Vehicle Miles Traveled Fee
Liisa Ecola, Laura Patton
Mar 26, 2021
The Hill
It's been clear for years that the gas tax has been losing its ability to pay for America's existing roads and bridges, let alone improvements and new construction. A vehicle miles traveled fee could provide a potential option for a 21st-century transportation funding system.
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Liability Risk Management
commentary
Creating the Right Incentives for State and Local Governments to Reduce Disaster Costs
Jason Thomas Barnosky, Noreen Clancy, Lloyd Dixon
Oct 14, 2020
The Hill
In the United States, federal, state, and local governments share responsibility for paying for losses from disasters. As the frequency and severity of disasters has increased, so have the losses. It's worth considering whether the current risk-sharing approach is appropriate.
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Counting the Costs: Improving Disaster Recovery Cost Estimation
Kelly Klima @KellyKlima1, Ismael Arciniegas Rueda
Sep 30, 2020
Natural Hazards Center
Estimating the cost of disasters is a complex process. Disaster recovery is complicated even further during this new era of COVID-19, when extra precautions must be taken. How can we estimate costs quickly and reliably, thus improving the flow of dollars back into the community?
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International Diplomacy
commentary
What to Watch to Understand the Sino-Iranian Relationship
Colin P. Clarke, Mollie Saltskog
Aug 13, 2020
Lawfare
Beijing and Tehran are in the process of finalizing an ambitious partnership covering a range of security and economic issues. The United States should not overreact to shifting geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East, and should instead keep an eye out to assess the evolution of the relationship and take stock of what is delivered instead of what is merely promised.
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International Economic Relations
commentary
Demystifying the Belt and Road Initiative
Rafiq Dossani
Jul 6, 2020
Encompass
Under the Belt and Road Initiative, China works with more than 70 countries to design and implement large infrastructure projects. Why are countries of all stripes turning to China for funding when the world is awash with cash?
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blog
State of the Union 2020: Insights from RAND
Feb 5, 2020
The final State of the Union address of President Trump's four-year term may be viewed through the lens of the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the evening. But the speech touched on a range of policy challenges that will remain, regardless of how politics play out in 2020.
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Turkey
blog
U.S.-Turkish Relations, Airports, Opioids: RAND Weekly Recap
Jan 17, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on the future of the U.S.-Turkish partnership, helping America's commercial airports meet rising demand, the opioid crisis, and more.
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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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Veterans Health Care
blog
Veterans, Infrastructure, Middle East: RAND Weekly Recap
Nov 9, 2018
This weekly recap focuses on the challenges facing veterans and their loved ones, a chance for bipartisan infrastructure policy, realignment in the Middle East, and more.
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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
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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