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Infrastructure Finance

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Commentary
New Thinking to Translate Infrastructure Dollars into Resilience
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.
Jun 2, 2021
Commentary
Progress on Infrastructure, but the Devil May Be in the Details
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.
May 21, 2021

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Commentary
Measure ULA Reflects the Wrong Lessons from Proposition HHH
Los Angeles voters approved the so-called “mansion tax,” Measure ULA, which proponents suggested will raise funds for about 26,000 new units of affordable housing over the next decade. But a key labor provision casts doubt on that optimistic projection.
Nov 28, 2022
Report
China's Role in the Global Development of Critical Resources
China's extensive foreign investments in energy infrastructure and critical minerals have raised concerns. Case studies in coal power, electricity transmission, and seabed mining examine China's behaviors and suggest ways to build capacity among host nations to minimize the potential effects of an overreliance on China.
Nov 7, 2022
Journal Article
Comparing Two Federal Financing Strategies on Penetration and Sustainment of the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach for Substance Use Disorders: Protocol for a Mixed-Method Study
The project will advance understanding of effective financing strategies to support the implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices for the treatment of adolescent substance use disorders.
Oct 13, 2022
Commentary
The Disaster Bills Coming Due
The United States largely waits for a disaster to strike and then spends billions to repair damages. Investing in resilience today can significantly reduce the costs to recover after a disaster strikes.
Sep 20, 2022
Commentary
National Wastewater Tracking Could Help Us Stay Ahead of COVID-19—but Congress Cut the Funds
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.
Mar 24, 2022
Commentary
More Than Green: Leveraging Green Bonds to Invest in Greater Climate Resilience
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.
Nov 24, 2021
Commentary
The Growing Green Bond Market Could Plateau. How Can It Grow Further?
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?
Nov 23, 2021
Commentary
Green Bonds Can Leave Issuers in the Red
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.
Nov 22, 2021
Commentary
Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management
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.
Aug 16, 2021
Commentary
Defund Prisons, Not Police
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.
Aug 9, 2021
News Release
Labor Regulations Attached to Proposition HHH Lowered Los Angeles Housing Production Through Increased Costs, Developer ...
A project labor agreement requiring that a primarily union workforce be used for housing projects for the homeless in Los Angeles appears to be one reason that the city's $1.2 billion Proposition HHH ballot initiative is falling short of its goal.
Aug 2, 2021
Report
Effects of Project Labor Agreements on Affordable Housing Production
A project labor agreement requiring that a primarily union workforce be used for housing projects for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles appears to be one reason that the city's $1.2 billion Proposition HHH ballot initiative is falling short of its goal.
Aug 2, 2021
Report
Incentivizing Solar: Catalyzing Solar Energy Technology Adoption to Address the Challenge of Climate Change
The authors provide an overview of the U.S. solar energy market and identify federal incentives that can help decarbonize the U.S. economy. They also explore solar reliability, job benefits, and availability to disadvantaged communities.
Jul 14, 2021
Testimony
U.S. Airport Funding and Finance
Billions of dollars are spent every year on infrastructure at U.S. airports to help aviation connect the country. Where does this funding come from? And how do needs, resources, and pandemic effects vary across different types of airports?
Jun 23, 2021
Commentary
U.S. Military Power Comes from More Than Just the Defense Budget
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.
May 10, 2021
Report
How Does Defense Spending Affect Economic Growth?
Prioritizing defense spending over infrastructure investment might undermine economic growth. Given that the size and health of the U.S. economy are ultimately the basis for the nation's military power, policymakers should consider that the economic effects of defense spending have consequences for long-term security.
May 7, 2021
Blog
Biden's First Address to Congress: Insights from RAND
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.
Apr 29, 2021
Commentary
Navigating Speed Bumps to a Possible Federal Vehicle Miles Traveled Fee
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.
Mar 26, 2021

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RAND Topic:
Infrastructure Finance

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Researcher Spotlight

Ismael Arciniegas Rueda

Senior Economist

Ismael Arciniegas Rueda is senior economist at RAND and a professor of public policy at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Arciniegas has held leadership positions at major energy companies such as AES, PSEG, Constellation and TransAlta. At those companies, Arciniegas led structuring, quantitative…
Benjamin M. Miller

Economist

Benjamin Miller is an economist at the RAND Corporation, a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, and a research quality assurance manager for RAND's Social and Economic Well-Being Division.

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