NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The world is hungry for infrastructure investment. In 2014, the IMF declared “the time is right for an infrastructure push“. Yet the development community has been here before. There have been earlier periods of infrastructure enthusiasm, with the white elephants to show for it, but precious little growth.

If pouring funds into roads and railways, ports and power is to boost the economy – rather than causing a debt crisis – then improved efficiency of public investment management is critical. But how can governments avoid the mistakes of the past and effectively deliver greater investment in infrastructure? What institutions and processes are needed to invest in infrastructure, and to invest well? How can countries scale-up financing for infrastructure? And when should the public sector foot the bill? These challenges are not just faced by national governments. As developing countries rapidly urbanise, improved public investment management is also an imperatives for cities.

This year’s CAPE conference will bring together researchers and senior policy-makers from across the developing world to debate these questions at a time when infrastructure is seen as essential for growth.