Skip to page content

Infrastructure Finance

Commentary

Creating the Right Incentives for State and Local Governments to Reduce Disaster Costs

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.

Oct 14, 2020
Report

Insuring Public Buildings, Contents, Vehicles, and Equipment Against Disasters

What insurance and financial risk management practices do state and local governments employ for buildings, contents, vehicles, and equipment, and what role does Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance play in these decisions?

Oct 9, 2020
Journal Article

Addressing Impact Evaluation Gaps in Belt and Road Initiative Projects in Africa: The Standard Gauge Railway Project in Kenya as a Proof of Concept

Proposing new directions for evaluation framework development targeting the Belt and Road Initiative projects, using the Standard Gauge Railway project in Kenya as a proof of concept of our proposed evaluation framework.

Oct 7, 2020
Commentary

Counting the Costs: Improving Disaster Recovery Cost Estimation

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?

Sep 30, 2020
Commentary

What to Watch to Understand the Sino-Iranian Relationship

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.

Aug 13, 2020
Commentary

Demystifying the Belt and Road Initiative

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?

Jul 6, 2020
Journal Article

Does Large-Scale Neighborhood Reinvestment Work? Effects of Public–Private Real Estate Investment on Local Sales Prices, Rental Prices, and Crime Rates

We examine whether the substantial, combined public–private investments in Hill District, Pittsburgh, (a) increased that neighborhood's residential and commercial sales prices, (b) increased residential rental prices, and (c) reduced crime.

Mar 5, 2020
Blog

State of the Union 2020: Insights from RAND

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.

Feb 5, 2020
Testimony

California's Hospital Seismic Safety Requirements: Cost and Affordability

By 2030, California hospitals will be required by law to remain operational after a major earthquake. How much might it cost to reach compliance by the deadline? And can hospitals afford this estimated spending?

Jan 28, 2020
Blog

U.S.-Turkish Relations, Airports, Opioids: RAND Weekly Recap

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.

Jan 17, 2020
News Release

Changes in Funding, Finance Policies Could Help U.S. Airports Prepare for Future Demand

Changes in federal policies could help ensure U.S. commercial airports are able to draw on sufficient and stable sources of revenue to maintain existing capacity, accommodate growth and support a safe, sustainable national airspace system in the coming decades.

Jan 14, 2020
Report

U.S. Airport Infrastructure Funding and Financing

Passenger air travel is at an all-time high, and demand for it is expected to rise. Will current levels of spending under existing federal policies be sufficient to enable commercial airports to make the infrastructure investments needed to meet that demand?

Jan 14, 2020
Report

U.S. Airport Infrastructure Funding and Financing: Issues and Policy Options Pursuant to Section 122 of the 2018 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act: Executive Summary

Passenger air travel is at an all-time high, and airports are investing in the infrastructure needed to meet demand. This document summarizes the full report's review of the federal government's role in airport infrastructure funding and financing.

Jan 14, 2020
Multimedia

Built to Last: Planning and Funding Resilient Infrastructure

Debra Knopman and Sarah Weilant discuss current and historical congressional spending on infrastructure, four key elements for building resilience into transportation projects, and recommendations for policymakers.

Dec 6, 2019
Commentary

Development with No Political Framework Is a Car Without an Engine

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.

Jul 9, 2019
Report

"The Project May Serve the Nation — But What About Us, Who Live Here?": Villagers' Views of the Dawei Special Economic Zone, an Internationally Funded Infrastructure Project in Myanmar

To gain a better understanding of how foreign infrastructure investment in Myanmar may affect local communities, RAND researchers conducted a survey of 250 residents of communities near the Dawei Special Economic Zone.

Jun 4, 2019
News Release

Seismic Safety Upgrades May Cost California Hospitals Billions, Increase Number of Hospitals in Financial Distress

After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, in which 11 hospitals were damaged and eight were evacuated, California adopted SB1953, which aims to improve hospital resilience to seismic events. The law requires hospitals to reduce their buildings' risk of collapse by 2020 and to remain operational after an earthquake by 2030. California hospitals would need to make substantial investments to meet 2030 state seismic safety standards.

Mar 28, 2019
Report

Seismic Safety Upgrades May Cost California Hospitals Billions

California hospitals are required by law to reduce their buildings' risk of collapse by 2020 and to remain operational after an earthquake by 2030. Hospitals have to pay for the upgrades, which could cost between $34 billion and $143 billion statewide. One-third of California hospitals are already in some form of financial distress.

Mar 28, 2019
Tool

Decision Support Tool for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Levee Investment Strategy

The Delta Stewardship Council commissioned the development of a risk modeling framework and decision support tool (DST) to aid in the formulation of a Delta Levees Investment Strategy.

Mar 7, 2019
Report

Decision Support Tool for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Levees Investment Strategy

The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta faces complex and varied flood risks. Possible investments to mitigate these risks are numerous, and they will affect Delta risks differently. The decision support tool aided the Delta Stewardship Council in developing a Delta Levees Investment Strategy.

Mar 7, 2019

1
2
3
4
5
Next

RAND Topic:
Infrastructure Finance

Research conducted by

RAND Social and Economic Well-Being