National Infrastructure Bank Concept and Proposals

The central policy objective of a national infrastructure bank is to increase investment in infrastructure. Greater investment is desired because high-quality, well maintained infrastructure is believed to increase private-sector productivity and improve public health and welfare. The magnitude of the increased productivity, however, is not settled, as empirical analysis does not always support the conjecture that greater infrastructure investment uniformly generates productivity gains. The type of infrastructure and the type of investment are critical elements in such an assessment. This book provides an overview of the infrastructure bank concept and some examples of existing infrastructure financing mechanisms. Discussed also are select legislative proposals for infrastructure banks, and the federal role in financing these proposals.