Episode 16: Financing Urban and Rural Infrastructure

Abstract

Infrastructure is not often at the forefront of policy discussions until something goes wrong, says Jerry Zhao, associate professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and director of the Institute for Urban and Regional Infrastructure Finance. Zhao's research explores how federal, state, and local entities pull together the resources to fund critical infrastructure investments in areas such as transportation, water, and education. These investments are complex. They typically involve big money, multiple decision makers, and have uncertain long-run benefits. To help address this, Zhao stresses the importance of using infrastructure finance research to inform policy makers of possible problems and solutions before issues arise.