Innovative Infrastructure Finance: A Guide for State and Local Governments

Infrastructure is the foundation of modern economies. A robust, efficient, and well-maintained infrastructure system is critical to support the nation’s economy, improve quality of life, and strengthen global competitiveness. The serious infrastructure deficit in the U.S. is well-known. State and local governments are struggling to finance the needed expansion, upgrades, and repairs. Meeting the infrastructure financing challenge has emerged as one of the most urgent issues facing the country.

Despite the growing number of innovations in state and local infrastructure financing, current information on innovative infrastructure financing is scattered and time-consuming to find. Until now, there was no detailed, comprehensive assessment of current knowledge and practice in innovative infrastructure financing. This book fills that gap and offers policy suggestions for state and local government managers who are considering the adoption and implementation of innovative infrastructure financing. It provides detailed case studies and rich examples that describe innovative approaches to fund state and local infrastructure development. These experiences and lessons in applying these innovations will be particularly useful for state and local government practitioners, professors, applied policy analysts, and students in public administration, policy, and public finance.

Can Chen is an Associate Professor in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. His main research interest is state and local infrastructure finance and policy. He serves as the chair for the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) Section on Transportation Policy and Administration (STPA) for 2021-2023. He is a certified research associate at Mineta Transportation Institute. His Bachelor’s degree is from Harbin Engineering University, MPA from Xiamen University, and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has published widely in journals on Public Budgeting and Finance, Public Management and Policy, and Transportation. His research was supported by grant funding from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and Open Government Partnership.

 John R. Bartle is the Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Professor of Public Administration and Urban Studies. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a Congressionally chartered advisory group to the federal government. He has published numerous journal articles in Public Budgeting and Finance, Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting, and Financial Management, Municipal Finance Journal, Public Works Management and Policy, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, State and Local Government Review, and Public Administration Review. He is the co-author or editor of three other books: Management Policies in Local Government Finance, Sustainable Development for Public Administration, and Evolving Theories of Public Budgeting. His Bachelor’s degree is from Swarthmore College, MPA from the University of Texas, Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the State University of New York. He worked in city and state government in Minnesota and for state and national research organizations on tax policy issues. He leads an initiative to provide policy research for the Nebraska state legislature.