Agricultural public facilities for irrigation and drainage play an important role in Japanese agriculture, especially in paddy production. However, the budget for renovation of old facilities was drastically cut in 2010. For prolonging life time and decreasing lifecycle costs of public...

This paper analyzes the impact of infrastructure investment on tax revenues and on the economy of the region. In 1991, the Kyushu high-speed rail line was constructed and was completed in 2003. In 2004, the rail line started operating from Kagoshima to Kumamoto. The entire line was opened in...

Consumers should pay directly for many services furnished by the public sector, particularly such congestible services as roads or water and sewerage provided to easily identifiable users. However, these goods are often funded or partly subsidized through general taxes. Politicians seldom opt...