Skip to main content

IMF: Time is right for an infrastructure push

A new study published in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook suggests there is a strong case for advanced economies to take advantage of low borrowing costs to increase spending on key infrastructure projects. The study examines the effects of public investment in a large number of countries; it claims that many advanced economies are stuck in a low growth and high unemployment environment and borrowing costs are low. The report says ‘an increase in infrastructure investmen
October 6, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
A new study published in the 7899 International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook suggests there is a strong case for advanced economies to take advantage of low borrowing costs to increase spending on key infrastructure projects.

The study examines the effects of public investment in a large number of countries; it claims that many advanced economies are stuck in a low growth and high unemployment environment and borrowing costs are low.

The report says ‘an increase in infrastructure investment could provide a much-needed fillip to demand, and it is one of the few remaining policy levers available to support growth, given already accommodative monetary policy.’

In many emerging market and developing economies, infrastructure bottlenecks are putting a brake on how quickly these economies can grow. In these regions, investment ‘could help address existing and nascent infrastructure bottlenecks,’ according to the report, going on to say ‘and in all economies it would help boost medium-term output, as higher infrastructure capital stocks expand productive capacity.’

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Business Monitor revises forecast on Russia’s infrastructure sector
    February 14, 2014
    Business Monitor’ latest report on Russia’s infrastructure sector has considerably revised down their construction industry forecast for the country in 2014 in light of recently published lacklustre official data. With a contraction of 1.25 per cent in the first nine months of 2013, they now forecast only moderate growth in the industry of 1.5 per cent for 2014. Although they had anticipated significant growth in the industry as a result of the large investments made for the Winter Olympic Games, this s
  • Report urges US$25 billion transport improvement plan
    August 6, 2014
    The One North report, produced by the city regions of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield in the UK, puts forward a strategic proposition for transport in the north of the country. The US$16.8-US$25.2 billion plan urges major changes in connectivity and capacity between the northern cities over the next 15 years and proposes optimisation of strategic highway capacity, a new high speed trans-Pennine rail route and improved city region rail networks interconnected with HS2 services, new inte
  • MaaS: 'It's been much easier to convince politicians than we expected'
    August 11, 2021
    As she leaves the Mobility as a Service sector, Piia Karjalainen explains why the user must continue to be the focus – and why we haven’t yet even seen half of the innovations available 
  • Include ITS in policy decisions from the start, not as an afterthought
    February 1, 2012
    DG TREN's Fotis Karamitsos, on why the European Commission's new ITS Action Plan is looking to the past for future direction. The European Commission's (EC's) new Action Plan for the Deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in Europe, which was announced as 2008 drew to a close, intends that transport and travel become 'cleaner; more efficient, including energy efficient; and safer and more secure'. At first sight, that wording might be interpreted as marking a significant policy shift within Europe, wit