The Road to Renewal
Private Investment in U.S. Transportation Infrastructure
AEI Press, February 2011
The U.S. transportation system comprises approximately 3.9 million miles of public roads and highways, on which Americans drive over 3 trillion miles each year. Presently funded through a combination of fuel and vehicle taxes and government grants, this system is vital to the nation’s prosperity. Yet, despite record levels of government spending, America's transportation system is plagued by traffic congestion, decaying infrastructure, and politicization of transportation funding--leading to calamities. In surveying the current state of the transportation system, Geddes finds the existing policy approach is in desperate need of repair. Drawing on the basic economic principles behind supply, demand, competition, and incentives, he argues that an increased use of public–private partnerships (PPPs), could significantly improve the quality of America's transportation infrastructure. Geddes shows how incorporating increased private participation can halt the deterioration of America's transportation system and become the foundation for a safer, more efficient transportation future.
... addresses common concerns and misconceptions about public-private partnerships ... [more]
Robert Poole, Director of Transportation Policy, Reason Foundation
... a powerful case for road service providers to charge directly for road use in the same way telephone or electricity charge customers ... [more]
Peter Samuel, Editor TOLLROADSnews
... when traditional public sources of revenue are insufficient and unsustainable ... [more]
Mary E. Peters, Mary E. Peters Consulting Group, LLC
Rick Geddes
TOLLROADSnews: US Transportation budget with mega-deficits
Newswise: U.S. High-Speed Rail Plans Are on the Wrong Track
CNN: Road tax alternative: Pay for each mile you drive
Newsmax.com: State of the Union Showdown:
Cornell Chronicle: In new book, economist Richard Geddes argues for private dollars to fix U.S. transportation
NHPR.org: interview on the the postal problems
WBUR.org: interview on the news that the Postal Service plans thousands of closures
WHCU: interview on high speed rail investment
WCCO Radio: interview on the viability of high speed rail in the US
PBS Radio: interview on the future of the postal service
CNN: Obama: U.S. infrastructure has 'slipped'
TechNewsDaily: Will $795 Million Help Turn Around Amtrak's high-Speed Rail?
The Wall Street Journal: Where The Money Is
NY Times: Better Than a Bailout, in "In rain, In Snow, but Not on Saturdays"
NY Times: It's Time to Stay the Courier
Bloomberg Businessweek: The US Postal Service Nears Collapse
In a book talk held at Mann Library in 2011, Geddes discusses key highlights from the book.
Rick Geddes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University. His research fields include private infrastructure investment through public-private partnerships, postal service policy, corporate governance, women’s property rights, and antitrust policy. He is also a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute, and an adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI).
-Timid Steps Towards Postal Reform
-The President's Commission on the Postal Service
-Why We Need Serious Postal Reform
-Opportunities for Anticompetitive Behavior in Postal Services
-The Structure and Effect of International Postal Reform
-Why We Need Postal Reform and What It Should Entail
 |
Competing with the Government: Anti-Competitive Behavior and Public Enterprises
|
|
Saving the Mail:
|
 |