This book makes important contributions to the critical debate on how to achieve sustainable infrastructure development, by balancing the sometimes conflicting concerns over economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity. The chapter on 'Beyond Privatization' by R. Little is particularly interesting, as it provides both infrastructure professionals as well as lay persons with an excellent overview of the different Public Private Participation (PPP) options, their respective strengthens and weaknesses, and vivid examples of where such options have succeed or fallen short when applied in the real world. I would highly recommend this publication to both academics as well as practitioners who want to better understand the wide-ranging challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in fostering effective public-private sector partnerships for infrastructure development. - Tom Zearley, Lead Operations Officer (retired), World Bank
Among other audiences, this book offers indispensable advice to governments at all levels - in both developed and developing countries - about the complex endeavor of planning, adopting, and maintaining new, physical infrastructure projects. Contributing authors explore problems that are too frequently downplayed by governments. Equity implications of different infrastructure financing schemes, the reconciliation of public and private investors' notions of risk, and infrastructure's varying impacts on poor peoples' livelihoods and health - among many other considerations - must be embedded into the decision calculus. These weighty concerns do not necessarily preclude infrastructure investments, the authors carefully explain. Rather, their careful consideration improves the likelihood that physical infrastructure projects actually deliver what they promise. - Matthew R. Auer, Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs and Dean of the Hutton Honors College, Indiana University