Infrastructure

Investing in the Future: An Economic Strategy for State and Local Governments in a Period of Tight Budgets

Papers • February 2011 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone

Confronting near-term budget challenges, state and local governments are under tremendous pressure to focus on immediate needs at the expense of long-term investments. Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney highlight four policy principles for state and local governments with an emphasis on the importance of infrastructure investments for economic growth and prosperity.

Public-Private Partnerships to Revamp U.S. Infrastructure

Papers • February 2011 • Eduardo Engel, Alexander Galetovic, Ronald Fischer

Eduardo Engel, Ronald Fischer, and Alexander Galetovic propose a series of best practices for state and local governments to follow when using public–private partnerships to provide infrastructure.

Fix It First, Expand It Second, Reward It Third: A New Strategy for America’s Highways

Papers • February 2011 • David M. Levinson, Matthew E. Kahn

Matthew Kahn and David Levinson propose a reorganization of our national highway infrastructure priorities to preserve, maintain, and enhance existing infrastructure and the creation of the Federal Highway Bank to meet these goals.

Lowering Borrowing Costs for States and Municipalities Through CommonMuni

Papers • February 2011 • Andrew Ang, Rick Green

Andrew Ang and Richard Green propose the establishment of CommonMuni, a not-for-profit advisory firm designed to reduce borrowing costs for municipalities by overcoming the difficulty individual municipalities and investors have coordinating with one another.

Air Support: Creating a Safer and More Reliable Air Traffic Control System

Papers • July 2008 • Dorothy Robyn

Dorothy Robyn argues that there are fundamental problems with the way the federal government manages the air traffic control system and proposes policy changes to improve the system’s safety and reliability.

Bringing Broadband to Unserved Communities

Papers • July 2008 • Jon M. Peha

Jon M. Peha outlines policies through which government could facilitate the expansion of broadband infrastructure into unserved communities. He argues that these policy reforms would move America closer to the goal of universal access to broadband Internet.

Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance: A Simple Way to Reduce Driving-Related Harms and Increase Equity

Papers • July 2008 • Jason E. Bordoff

This paper argues that the current lump-sum pricing of auto insurance is inefficient and inequitable. It proposes and evaluates a simple alternative: pay-as-you-drive (PAYD) auto insurance.

The Untapped Promise of Wireless Spectrum

Papers • July 2008 • Philip J. Weiser

Philip J. Weiser argues that our spectrum policy has failed to facilitate an optimal and efficient use of this important resource. He identifies a new direction for spectrum policy reform to catalyze more efficient uses of spectrum.

America’s Traffic Congestion Problem: Toward a Framework for National Reform

Papers • July 2008 • David L. Lewis

David Lewis argues that congestion pricing would reduce the economic costs from congestion and guide transportation resources to their best use, and would generate revenue for new investment and to compensate low-income people for whom toll payments are burdensome.

FEATURED

State Roads to Economic Recovery: Policies, Pavements, and Partnerships

February 25, 2011 • Washington, DC

The Hamilton Project and the Metropolitan Policy Program held a forum focused on state strategies that can help close budget deficits while also growing state economies and creating much-needed jobs. As part of the event, The Hamilton Project released three new policy papers, as well as a strategy paper, focused on helping state and local governments invest more efficiently in infrastructure to ensure long-term economic competitiveness. 

Investing in America’s Infrastructure: From Bridges to Broadband

July 25, 2008 • Washington, DC

Governor Tim Kaine joined Robert E. Rubin and Lawrence H. Summers in the opening session of a Hamilton Project public forum on the need for a national strategy that promotes infrastructure as a central component of long-term, broadly shared growth.

Easing the Traffic Jam Through Congestion Pricing

April 1, 2008 • Washington, DC

David Lewis outlined his new Hamilton Project paper on the merits and potential barriers to congestion pricing as a tool for combating urban gridlock at an event co-sponsored with the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.

Public Water and Transportation Spending by State and Local Governments

February 25, 2011 • Charts

State and local governments provide most of the funding for critical infrastructure systems, but spending has declined over the last 50 years.

State Roads to Economic Recovery Event Photos

February 25, 2011 • Photo Galleries

The Hamilton Project and the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings hosted a forum on state strategies that can help close budget deficits while also growing state economies and creating much-needed jobs.

Bruce Katz on the Pressures Facing States to Rebalance Their Budgets

February 25, 2011 • Video

Metropolitan Policy Program Director Bruce Katz on the pressures facing states to rebalance their budgets and transform their economies at the State Roads to Economic Recovery: Policies, Pavements, and Partnerships Hamilton Project and Metropolitan Policy Program event.

Tyler Duvall on Difficulties with Public-Private Partnerships

February 25, 2011 • Video

McKinsey & Co. Associate Principal Tyler Duvall on difficulties with public-private partnerships at the State Roads to Economic Recovery: Policies, Pavements, and Partnerships Hamilton Project and Metropolitan Policy Program event.

Governor Ed Rendell on Federal and State Government Investment

February 25, 2011 • Video

Former Governor Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) on the necessity of government investment at both the federal and state level at the State Roads to Economic Recovery: Policies, Pavements, and Partnerships Hamilton Project and Metropolitan Policy Program event.

Govenor Tim Kaine, Robert Rubin, and Lawrence Summers on Infrastructure Investment

July 25, 2008 • Video

Then-Governor Tim Kaine (D-Va.) joins former U.S. Treasury Secretaries Robert E. Rubin and Lawrence H. summers in panel discussion at the Investing in America’s Infrastructure: From Bridges to Broadband Hamilton Project event.

Douglas Elmendorf on Improving Infrastructure Investment

July 25, 2008 • Video

Then-Hamilton Project Director Douglas W. Elmendorf on improving infrastructure investment through a national strategy that would focus how to use existing infrastructure more efficiently and how to better utilize the dollars already being spent at the Investing in America’s Infrastructure: From Bridges to Broadband Hamilton Project event.

Governor Tim Kaine on Infrastructure Challenges Facing States

July 25, 2008 • Video

Then-Governor Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Infrastructure challenges facing states at the Investing in America’s Infrastructure: From Bridges to Broadband Hamilton Project event.

Nancy Cordes Moderates Panel Discussion on Physical Infrastructure

July 25, 2008 • Video

CBS News Transportation and Consumer Safety Correspondent Nancy Cordes leads panel discussion on physical infrastructure at the Investing in America’s Infrastructure: From Bridges to Broadband Hamilton Project event.