In 2001, the U.S. government spent $290 billion on public investments spanning such diverse projects as highways, aircraft electronics, sewer and water systems, government buildings, and conservation. This amount represents roughly 3 percent of GDP and is comparable in size to net exports. The...

We analyze the problem of optimal public investment when government purchases of productive capital assets are financed through income taxes. Virtually all previous work in this literature has prescribed a share of public investment in GDP that is both constant and time consistent. This paper...

We analyze the problem of optimal public investment when government purchases of productive capital assets are financed through income taxes. Virtually all previous work in this literature has prescribed a share of public investment in GDP that is both constant and time consistent. This paper...