Mercatus Infrastructure Resources
For several years, policymakers have called for greater investments in infrastructure, while the definition of “infrastructure” has expanded beyond traditional surface transportation. As our cities and rural areas face different challenges, policymakers also must grapple with how to finance new and existing projects to meet the needs of their constituents.
Research scholars of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University have been informing policymakers, at both the federal and state levels, on issues surrounding infrastructure and solutions to improve our existing systems. The body of work below highlights our scholar-focused interest on infrastructure and the role of the Federal government. This research discusses the need for financing and funding solutions, changes to the current allocation of federal spending, and the role technology plays in determining how American infrastructure is maintained and built.
General Infrastructure
Infrastructure: How to Define It and Why the Definition Matters
Benefits and Risks of Policymakers Use of Smart City Technology
The Limits of Infrastructure Stimulus
Garett Jones, Daniel Rothschild
Biden’s Environmentally Friendly Infrastructure Plan Won’t Help Infrastructure of the Environment
Infrastructure Financing
Political Incentives and Transportation Funding
Fixing American Infrastructure
Infrastructure Finance: A Mercatus Colloquium
Surface Transportation
Improving Funding and Management of Surface Transportation Infrastructure
Veronique de Rugy, Tracy Miller
Smart Cities, Dumb Infrastructure
Can a Federal Public Infrastructure Bank Improve Highway Funding
America’s Infrastructure Isn’t Crumbling
Federal Highway Funding Needs to Change
Role of the Private Sector in the Management of Highways, A Primer on Public Private Partnerships
Highway Infrastructure, Issues Concerning Private-Sector Participation
Rail Transportation
Infrastructure Policy: Four Lessons from Freight Rail deregulation>
High-Speed Railways: Do They Produce Economic Growth?
Mandating Minimum Crew Size for Freight Trains is Still A Bad Idea
Air Transportation
Which States Are Prepared for the Drone Industry
Auctioning Airspace
Public Transportation
How Private Sector Can Improve Public Transportation
Trains in Vain: The Uncertain Outlook for Public Transit After COVID-19
Housing
The Link Between Local Zoning Policy and Housing Affordability in America’s Cities
Kevin Erdmann, Salim Furth, Emily Hamilton
The Premium For Walkable Development Under Land Use Regulations
How Land-Use Regulations Undermines Affordable Housing
Inclusionary Zoning Hurts More Than It Helps
Opportunities for Better Federal Housing Policy: How the Biden Administration and Congress Can Improve Housing Affordability
Inclusionary Zoning and Housing Market Outcomes