We examine the optimal financing of infrastructure when governments have limited financial commitment and can expropriate rents from private sector firms that manage infrastructure. While private firms need incentives to implement projects well, governments need incentives to limit...

Cities across Canada should sell their electricity distribution companies and invest the proceeds in critical municipal infrastructure, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Surge Capacity: Selling City-owned Electricity Distributors to Meet Broader Municipal Infrastructure...

This research study aimed to assesses the impact of infrastructure based on the evaluation of infrastructure provision's effect on public finance, presenting the case of Kutaisi International Airport in Georgia. In the case, we assessed the impact of the airport on the public finances of the...

Historically, governments have played the predominant role in owning and operating infrastructure facilities such as schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, railways, ports, telecommunications networks, and water and electricity supply facilities. However, fiscal policy constraints, growing...

This paper discusses governmental fiscal support for financing long-term infrastructure projects in ASEAN countries. More specifically, it discusses the role of guarantees and subsidies in promoting public-private partnership (PPP) projects. It draws on case studies of Philippine and Indonesian...

Where does the money come from to buy votes? We argue that an important source of funds for vote-buying comes from 'contract clientelism', or the provision of public contracts to private firms in exchange for campaign donations. Using quantitative data on Colombian infrastructure contracts, we...

With the rapid expansion of private forest plantations worldwide, their impacts on local development are under scrutiny by NGOs and researchers alike. This study investigates the impacts of private forest plantations on local infrastructure and social services in rural Tanzania. We take a...

We examine the relationship between local public goods, prices, wages, and population in an equilibrium inter-city model. Non-traded production, federal taxes, and imperfect mobility all affect how public goods (or "amenities" more broadly) should be valued from data. Reinterpreting the...