Should a conceding authority auction off or negotiate a contract for an exclusive private infrastructure deal? Advocates of negotiation often argue that a formal competition may take too much time, that the costs of preparing bids may be excessive, and that innovation may be discouraged. But...

Infrastructure concession contracts set out the performance obligations and rights of concessionaires and the incentives and risks under which they operate, including pricing arrangements. The clarity with which these terms can be defined determines whether there is likely to be renegotiations...

If privatizing network industries is to bring lasting public benefits, governments should also attempt to introduce competition. The scope for such competition is growing with increasing deregulation and technological innovation. As technology continues to improve, the use of "smart...

While the number of private infrastructure projects continues to grow, tales of endless delays and exorbitant development costs still scare both developers and governments. The authors show that these costs are related not to project size but to the characteristics of the policy environment. As...

The water industry differs in two key respects from such other network industries as gas, electricity, and telecommunications. First, it offers fewer opportunities for competition among suppliers, since the network of pipes accounts for a large part of the total cost of water and can be run...

Over the years, the term private sector development, has been misunderstood and misconstrued - variously vilified and sanctified. During the decade of the 1990s, the role of the private sector in economic development, received increased attention, with controversy surrounding such issues as...

Fundamentally, poverty reduction is about bringing growth processes to poor areas. Because poor areas can benefit from technical and organizational innovations made elsewhere in the world, it is possible today to create productive jobs faster and in greater quantity than ever before. The puzzle...

In the 1990s, foreign direct investment began to swamp all other cross-border capital flows into developing countries. Does foreign direct investment support sound development? In particular, does it contribute to poverty reduction?Foreign direct investment is a key ingredient of successful...