Wider economic benefits of infrastructure projects - EP136

Wider economic benefits are increasingly being estimated in economic assessments of infrastructure projects. Show host Gene Tunny and his colleague Arturo Espinoza Bocangel chat about how some infrastructure projects, particularly transport projects, can stimulate new economic development, increasing the density of businesses and workers in an area. This can boost innovation and productivity through knowledge transfer and greater specialisation, among other mechanisms. The expected wider economic benefits of the Cross River Rail subway project in Brisbane, Australia are discussed. Links relevant to the conversationCross River Rail business caseCross River Rail project benefitsKnowledge Spillovers: - Cities' Role in the New Economy - article by Jerry Carlino Gene quotes from in the episodeThe wider economic benefits of transport infrastructure paper by Peter Abelson Working from home: Too much of a good thing - article by Kristian Behrens and othersWider Economic Benefits of Transport Corridors : Evidence from International Development Organizations - World Bank paper using night time lights dataClarificationIn the episode Gene didn’t get the title of Jane Jacobs’s famous book on cities right. The correct title is The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Thanks to the show’s audio engineer Josh Crotts for his assistance in producing the episode. Please consider signing up to receive our email updates and to access our e-book Top Ten Insights from Economics at www.economicsexplored.com. Also, please get in touch with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at [email protected] or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. Economics Explored is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and other podcasting platforms.