Private Investment In Infrastructure Research Articles

Enhancing the Syrian Construction Industry through Augmented Reality: Applications and Challenges

The Syrian construction industry faces numerous challenges that hinder its efficiency and productivity, including outdated practices and a lack of modern technological integration. This study explores the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) to enhance industry practices through a descriptive analytical approach using surveys and case studies. Key findings indicate a growing awareness and favorable perception of AR among construction professionals, pinpointing substantial benefits such as enhanced project visualization, safety, and resource management. Despite these positives, significant barriers such as technological infrastructure and expertise gaps limit AR's widespread adoption. The study concludes that AR offers significant potential to revolutionize the Syrian construction industry, recommending focused governmental and private sector investment in technological training and infrastructure to leverage these benefits fully. These findings suggest that AR could be pivotal in transforming construction practices in emerging markets like Syria

Analysis of the competitiveness of soybean production in Benin

With the increase in its production and its prized label, Beninese soybeans are increasingly targeting the Chinese and European markets. It is then essential, to be able to take advantage of the market and to produce better by being competitive. This study goes beyond a simple profitability analysis to analyse the competitiveness of soybean production in Benin (based on the domestic resource cost ratio) and the factors on which it depends. Data used concern 967 soybean-producing farms from two agricultural development regions. Producing nearly 89% of the national soybean production, these regions have been identified for the promotion of soybean cultivation by the Beninese government. Policy Analysis Matrix and binomial logistic regression were used to analyse these data. The results showed that soybean production is profitable from both a financial and economic perspective. The Domestic Resource Cost Ratio was estimated at 0.55, indicating that the farms studied are globally competitive. The microeconomic analysis reveals that more than two-thirds of the farms in the study area are competitive. Investment in formal education for farm managers; public and private investment in infrastructure, particularly market infrastructure, technical innovations, and information transfer; and facilitating access to agricultural advice are factors on which the various stakeholders can act to improve farm competitiveness.

Exploring influencing factors for private sector participation in PPP power projects: case of Ghana

PurposeDemand for private investment in infrastructure, notably in the power sector remains high, and this is anticipated to expand with the passage of time. Very little research currently exists on the power sector and specifically the private sector influencing factors (PSIFs) for entering into public–private partnerships (PPPs). The purpose of this study is to explore influencing factors for private sector participation in PPP power projects in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachUsing purposive and snowball sampling techniques, questionnaires were used to gather responses from experts in the PPP power sector domain in a two-round Delphi survey. Reliability analysis was conducted using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and level of agreement tested using Kendall’s concordance. Mean score ranking, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square test were the main analysis conducted on the influencing factors.FindingsThe most significant PSIFs were: obtaining of investment support; improvement in private sector’s international image; synergy with public sector; sharing of risks; and gaining of profits. From ANOVA results, all the influencing factors had no significant different perception between the number of years in PPP practice and the motivations for the private sector entering into PPP power projects. Using Chi-square, the association between the variables indicated they were statistically significant.Practical implicationsThe findings in this study are significant for multinational power generation firms that seek to enter the Ghanaian energy sector to help fill the generation gap and deficit.Originality/valueThe output of this research contributes to the checklist of influencing factors for private sector participation in PPP power projects and enhances the development of PPP practice.

“DALSTON! WHO ASKED U?”: A Knowledge-Centred Perspective on the Mapping of Socio-Spatial Relations in East London

Since the turn of the millennium, Dalston in the London Borough of Hackney has experienced fundamental change through public and private investment in new infrastructure and processes of urban restructuring. This was paralleled by the reform of the national planning system, which aimed to devolve decision-making to the local level and increase the possibilities for residents and stakeholders to participate in planning processes. However, the difficulty of translating local needs and aspirations into policy goals and broadly accepted area action plans resulted in a crisis, which, in 2018, led to the introduction of the Dalston Conversation and subsequently the revision of planning goals. It is in this context that the Relational States of Dalston mapping project generated and assembled local knowledge about the web of socio-spatial relations between different local actors and in this way highlighted the significance and fragility of the communities’ networks and their spatial dimensions. The collection, ordering, integration, and production of knowledge can be seen as part of the core work in urban planning processes and policymaking. Which forms of knowledge are routinely used in planning contexts and define the relationship between planning action and urban transformation? To what extent could the mapping of local community relations add to this knowledge and help to improve decision-making processes in contested spaces of knowledge? In what ways could a relational understanding of space and architectural modes of research and representation contribute to the analysis, conceptualisation, and communication of local community relations? This article engages with these questions, using the mapping project in Dalston as a case study.

Impediments to Public-Private Partnership Projects In Aftermath of Covid-19 Pandemic

India has enjoyed impressive economic growth over the past two decades. The country possesses the world’s second-largest road system, fourth-largest rail system, and fifth-largest electric power generating manufacturing capability. Despite progress and good prospects for the future, investors continue to face many challenges, which have worsened after Covid-19. Nearly 90% of the world’s population has faced travel restrictions, a sharp decline in the global economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. There had been significant downward trend in the infrastructure investment during Pandemic, keeping in view the slowdown of private investment in infrastructure; the present study was carried out to investigate the complexities in PPP infrastructure projects by looking at the elements that impede the successful implementation of PPP in India. The study relies on primary and secondary data. To better understand the constraints to PPP implementation, a questionnaire survey was performed to collect the viewpoints of partners who have a good grasp of the PPP concept and have worked on PPP projects in India. There was a total of 94 valid submissions. The overall findings show that the top five challenges for speeding PPP in India are ‘Inefficient and inequitable risk allocation in PPPs,’ ‘Over leveraged debt and paucity of equity,’ ‘Weak regulatory and institutional frameworks,’ ‘Delay in issuing clearances by authorities,’ and ‘Land selection and acquisition.

Examining the Relationship between Sustainable Finance and Green Economic Progress in Ghana: The Stakeholders’ Perspectives

Every economic development and progress entails wealth creation for the benefit of citizens sustainably. Sustainable development requires public and private investment in green assets and infrastructure that decreases carbon emissions, increases energy and resource efficiency, and preserves biodiversity and ecosystem services for humanity. Ghana is striving to transform its economic activities according to GE standards, although it faces challenges in meeting these standards. Moreover, adequate funding is limited or unavailable, especially for developing countries. This study uses a questionnaire survey to examine the relationship between SF and GE factors in Ghana. SF incorporates social and environmental issues into financial decision-making and performance. The result shows that the SFFs and the GEFs are significantly related. Ghana needs to strengthen its SF and GE policies from top to bottom to achieve remarkable green economic transformation and smooth transition.

National projects as an adaptation mechanism of financial interaction between the state and corporations

Aim. The presented study aims to assess the prospects for the participation of the corporate sector in achieving the target indicators of national project implementation in the context of increased volatility and to provide practical recommendations for realizing such opportunities.Tasks. The authors analyze the dynamics of the Russian private infrastructure investment market; investigate trends related to the investment climate and the advantages of monitoring and controlling the implementation of national projects using a project management information system; identify obstacles to attracting private capital in national projects; propose solutions that can have a positive impact, expanding the boundaries of financial interaction between the public and corporate finance sectors.Methods. This study uses a dialectical systems approach and general scientific methods. The analysis is based on the international scientometric database Scopus and the bibliographic database of the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI).Results. The authors substantiate the need to attract private capital as one of the most important elements of national project efficiency and formulate practical recommendations for realizing the potential of the corporate sector within the framework of financial cooperation with the state in the implementation of national projects. Business involvement can positively influence both the target indicators and the rate of economic growth and development in general.Conclusions. Based on a study of financial interaction between the state and corporate finance, the authors identify obstacles to attracting private capital in national projects. Furthermore, based on the identified opportunities for financial interaction, solutions are proposed that can have a positive impact, expanding the boundaries of financial interaction between the public and corporate finance sectors.

Greening as a trend of becoming a smart econom

The article substantiates the need to understand the essence of the green economy as an ecosystem in which the processes of economic, social, ecological, and political development are balanced. This is manifested in the implementation of important global events, political decisions at various levels, and the strengthening of analytical activities. The green economy includes three main concepts: low-carbon, resource-saving and socially inclusive development. In a green economy, employment and income growth is supported by public and private investment in infrastructure and assets that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, improve energy and resource efficiency, and prevent biodiversity loss. Various indices and indicators for measuring the development of the green economy are distributed in international analytics. The main indexes of measuring the greening of the economy include social parameters, social inclusiveness and greening. The Green Growth Index measures the performance of governments in achieving sustainable development goals (efficient use of resources, protection of natural resources, opportunities for implementing environmental initiatives, and social integration). The UNEP Green Economy Progress Index (GEP) does not remain unchanged and is constantly being improved and filled with new content to measure progress in achieving an inclusive green economy. The Green Economy Progress Index is a key tool for policymakers, analysts and other stakeholders in understanding the progress of the green economy.

City deals and health equity in Sydney, Australia

'City Deals' are new governance instruments for urban development. Vast evidence exists on the relationship between urban factors and health equity, but little research applies a health equity lens to urban policy-making. This paper does precisely that for the Western Sydney City Deal (WSCD) in Australia. We conducted a critical discourse analysis of publicly available documents and interviews with the WSCD's main architects, applying insights from relevant theories. We find 'pro-growth' discourse to encourage economic investment dominates any references to disadvantage. Interviewees maintained the WSCDs fundamental purpose is to rebalance urban investment toward the historically disadvantaged West. However, the WSCD makes limited reference to health and none to equity. Institutionalised governance practices that favour private investments in infrastructure remain the dominant force behind the WSCD. We document how a shift to 'place-based' infrastructure has promise for equity but struggles to overcome institutionalised approaches to urban investments.

ФИНАНСИРОВАНИЕ ИНФРАСТРУКТУРНЫХ ПРОЕКТОВ В ГОСУДАРСТВЕННО-ЧАСТНОМ ПАРТНЕРСТВЕ: ОПЫТ ВЕЛИКОБРИТАНИИ

This article contains an overview of UK infrastructure project finance, financing models, the country's infrastructure trends and key influence factors on private investment in infrastructure. The UK is one of the leading centers for infrastructure financing, so public-private partnership, government support measures and recommendations for improving the infrastructure system are considered.

Новые инструменты привлечения инфраструктурных инвестиций в экономику региона

The article deals with modern investment instruments for the implementation of public and private infrastructure investments. In recent years, the creation of new and improvement of existing infrastructure investment instruments has been intensified. The development of the system of tools is associated with the complication of the economic and political environment, as well as with the increasing of the needs of the regions in the creation of modern infrastructure facilities. The purpose of the research is seen in the consideration and analysis of the regions practice of using infrastructure investment instruments for the identification the problems and further development the instruments of the regional investment policy. The review of the legislative aspects of the using of these tools, conducted by the authors, as well as the analysis of the factual data about the present and future of the infrastructure investment market in the regions, in particular, in the Khabarovsk Territory, are of scientific and practical interest. The relationship between the concepts of the infrastructure project, infrastructure investments, infrastructure menu and regional investment standard was established. The results of the research described in the article are interesting from the perspective of practical use by the government bodies in the realization of the investment policy of the region, as well as by researchers of the problems of the investment sphere. The authors' results verify the trends of recent years - despite the intensified activity of the federal center, which offers a variety of tools for infrastructure investment, the regions do not yet fully use them for the implementation of infrastructure projects.

A Study on the Method the Benefits of Agricultural Infrastructure Projects

The agricultural infrastructure projects exceeding a certain amount should be by law conducted a preliminary feasibility study by the Public and Private Infrastructure Investment Management Center (PIMAC) of Korea Development Institute (KDI). The results of the study are crucial for the projects to be funded and implemented. However, there have been some issues for the method of calculating the economic benefits. The main issues contain which benefits are included, how to evaluate the marginal effects of the projects, and which concept is applied among gross income, income and profit. Thus, this paper is designed to suggest a common method for calculating the economic benefit of agricultural infrastructure projects.

Impact of Public Infrastructure Investment on Private Infrastructure Investment

The aim of this paper is to find the relationship among government and private capital formation in Pakistan during the period 1981 to 2018. This study employs Auto Regressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) bound test. The results show that government infrastructure investment negatively effects on private infrastructure capital formation in long run and short run, indicating that government infrastructure investment crowds out private infrastructure investment. In determining the role of the government in investment and liberalization policies, the results of this paper have important policy implications.

Private Markets, Infrastructure and Venture Capital in the Post-COVID Era: The Pension Perspective

This second of a series of seven papers co-authored by M. Nicolas J. Firzli and David Weeks looks at the notions of private markets – PE, VC, private debt and infrastructure – and the "quest for yields" in a low interest rates environment, which where discussed at two recent global conferences organised by the G7 Pensions Summit (G7 P7) and the Singapore Economic Forum (SEF). ESG, impact investing, renewable energy and the notion of green growth are also discussed by the co-authors and other experts, including the Hon. Nick Sherry, fmr. AUS minister of Superannuation & Corporate Law, Nick Silver, chairman, Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), Michael Dennis, Head, APAC, Alternatives & Cap. Markets, BlackRock, Dr Guan Seng Khoo, Singapore Management University (SMU) and Ingrid Edmund, Columbia Threadneedle Investments (CTI)The notion of financial long-term-ism is considered from the perspective of institutional asset owners, notably in the US, Britain and the European Union (EU), where "pension fund regulation and the structure of the industry [often] puts a premium on liquidity and causes short-termism, at the expense of long-term investment and patient capital.”Australia has seen much interest in privatisation of public functions/assets. This has increased opportunities for private investment in infrastructure. It has, however, raised political discussion about the correct pricing of “monopoly assets”, such as large regional airports and water utilities.The authors also look at some of the recent developments in Canada, China, India and various ASEAN jurisdictions, including Singapore and assess the role played by the city-state in a complex period: "the COVID crisis has accelerated the mutually reinforcing effects of the Age of Empowerment (ESG, Equity and Entrepreneurship/the Venture Capitalist Ethos), the Age of Geoeconomics (intensifying Sino-American coopetition) and Datafied World Economy (Digitalization, Ai, Cybernetics), and Singapore is positioned precisely at the crossroads where these three powerful currents meet.”Some of the financial and geo-economic aspects of the "Post Brexit" era are also analysed. The authors note that HM Government has invited four key maritime powers to join the 47th G7 summit held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall later in the year: Australia, South Korea, India and South Africa, thus "bringing the blue economy to the fore of the global policy agenda".

The power paradigm in practice: A critical review of developments in the Zambian electricity sector

• Infrastructure deficiencies in sub-Saharan Africa are typically framed in terms of a “financing gap” in need of private capital. • This paper explores how the associated policy paradigm has unfolded in the specific context of Zambia using the Systems of Provision approach. • Private investment has in part led to high-cost, dollar-denominated liabilities that risk compromising development objectives in the long term. • Conventional narratives of cost-recovery and efficiency are not neutral and their full distributional implications need to be unpicked. • Greater attention is needed to social equity and to the specific challenges faced. Sub-Saharan Africa lags behind the rest of the world in electricity access and consumption. Infrastructure deficiencies are framed in terms of a “financing gap”, with policy oriented around attracting global private capital. Recent calls for increased private infrastructure investment follow three decades of market-oriented sector reforms. This paper explores the way that this standard policy paradigm has unfolded in Zambia. Drawing on the Systems of Provision approach we focus on three core interconnected segments of the electricity system: the performance of the state utility, Zesco; private sector participation and cost-recovery pricing. The paper shows that Zesco has run into major difficulties since 2015 due to a crisis in hydro resources and adverse currency movements. In line with the policy paradigm, the utility has signed up to a number of agreements with international independent power producers (IPPs) to diversify power sources, and tariffs have been raised to improve Zesco’s financial situation. However, closer inspection reveals contradictions, biases and inconsistencies in this standard policy package when applied in practice. Zesco’s acutely debilitating financial position is a relatively recent occurrence. Short-term fluctuations in hydro power, for which intermittent back-up is needed, have instead been addressed with new decades-long contracts for fossil fuel generation. IPPs have provided generous returns for foreign investors but have created long-term, dollar-denominated liabilities for Zesco, contributing to a weakening financial position. Tariffs have been raised but households cannot afford to pay a price that covers Zesco’s increased costs. The proliferation of IPPs appears to have worsened the situation.The paper shows that energy sector policies organised around the entry of private capital are problematic and likely to contribute to a dynamic of unequal global capital accumulation. Greater attention is needed to social equity, with policies oriented around domestic circumstances and the specific challenges faced.

Impact of Public and Private Infrastructure Investment on Economic Growth: Evidence from India

Literature presents contradictory views regarding the impact of public and private investment on the economic growth of a country. India being a developing country, where the major share of investment is by public sector, the question which props up is what among public and private investment is contributing more towards the economic growth of the country. In this framework, the gross domestic product (GDP) can be fairly explained as a function of public infrastructure investment and private infrastructure investment. Johansen’s co-integration was used to test the long-run relationship between the variables over the period from 1961–1962 to 2016–2017. A vector error correction model (VECM) along with an impulse response function and variance decomposition analysis was done to measure the impact of public infrastructure investment and private infrastructure investment on the GDP. Based on the empirical evidence discussed earlier, it was evident that both public and private infrastructure investments have a significant impact on the economic growth of the nation. Findings which came up in this study correlate to majority findings of past literature that, when compared with public investment, it is private investment which is capable of giving a better impetus to economic growth.

TRADITIONAL PROCUREMENT Vs PUBLIC, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP MODEL – A Solution Based Approach for Indian Sub Continent

Infrastructure development creates enough economic activities and development that have direct impact on socio economic development and overall national development. However, the role of traditional procurement / government spending on this sector has been under tremendous stress due to limited availability of resources. Public and private model and 100% private investments have been in vogue since couple of decades. The empirical government data projects a negligible or poor contribution of private sector, for various reasons though. The infrastructure gaps are still large and bridging those gaps will require tackling several problems, in terms of additional. This paper evaluates the current investment scenario and provide for radical changes in thought process and approach towards improving private participation in nation infrastructure building. One such approach is creating a national stock exchange for all private and public infrastructure investments and tagging this segment with organised industry profile. A CaaS (Construction As A Service) concept is being proposed to effectively utilise the limited resources and to avoid overlapping wasteful expenditures through pooling and shared services and on demand model. While it is not imperative to impress upon the establishment and public alike about the importance of private participation in infrastructure investments, it is order of the day to convince them about the real return on investments that they would commit. Similarly, bringing in public at large to participate in investing in infrastructure, a radical change will happen for good and the nation progress.

The Impact of Investment Treaties on Governance of Private Investment in Infrastructure

Governments are increasingly turning to the private sector to provide the capital, resources and/or know-how necessary for development and operation of infrastructure. In some cases, the involvement by the private sector will trigger coverage by an international investment treaty that overlies, and can override, the domestic law and contract that would otherwise be applicable to the project. This paper discusses the circumstances affecting when an investment treaty will apply and also highlights some of the ways that investment treaties can impact governance of infrastructure development and operation. While focusing on the relationship between investment treaties and investments in infrastructure, this paper is also relevant for the connections between investment treaties and other activities involving investor-state contracts (or quasi-contractual relationships) such as investments in the extractive industries.

Viability gap funding for promoting private infrastructure investment in Africa: views from stakeholders

ABSTRACT Viability gap funding (“VGF”) has emerged as one of the alternatives to leverage public funds in order to mobilise private infrastructure investment in developing countries. This paper is motivated by an interest to better understand how different stakeholders see VGF and whether the use of different VGF instruments can be an effective tool in promoting private infrastructure investment. The research found that there is a need for more VGF in low- and middle-income countries, among other important findings. Although the presented study is mainly focused on infrastructure development in Africa, its results can be of interest in other developing markets.

The Role of the Rule of Law in Attracting Foreign Investment for Infrastructure Development in Nigeria

Effective and adequate infrastructure is a crucial substructure of any thriving economy, and infrastructure investment is regarded as a key driver of economic development. Nigeria, despite being regarded as the largest economy in Africa, and having one of Africa’s largest natural gas and crude oil reserves (amongst other natural resources), can hardly lay claim to a “thriving economy”. Foremost amongst the problems of Nigeria’s economy is the devastating lack of critical infrastructure to utilize its natural endowments and this, amongst other shortcomings, has seen Nigeria become the world’s “poverty capital”. Speculated to require approximately US$ 30 billion in annual investments to bridge the infrastructure deficit of its economy, Nigeria’s government is ill-equipped to finance such an infrastructure revolution and has thus resorted to private-sector partnerships and foreign investment as a solution. However, Nigeria has struggled to attract the much-needed private infrastructure investment. This paper will highlight a key reason for the apparent apathy of foreign investors towards committing finance to Nigerian infrastructure projects – the state of the rule of law in Nigeria, as it is one of the more foundational challenges which can be readily addressed by the Nigerian government. After illustrating Nigeria’s rule of law shortcomings and the effects of same on attracting investment, this paper will proffer strategies towards addressing these shortcomings in order to attract foreign investment for critical infrastructure.