Building the Case for Greater Infrastructure Investment

Lawrence Summers:

Building the case for greater infrastructure investment: There is a consensus that the US should substantially raise its level of infrastructure investment. Economists and politicians of all persuasions recognize that this can create quality jobs and provide economic stimulus without posing the risks of easy-money policies in the short run. They also see that such investment can expand the economy’s capacity in the medium term and mitigate the huge maintenance burden we would otherwise pass on to the next generation.

The case for infrastructure investment has been strong for a long time, but it gets stronger with each passing year…

The issue now is not whether the US should invest more in infrastructure but what the policy framework should be. There are five key questions. …

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