Infrastructure and Employment
Government Projects as Engines for Growth
America's infrastructure is crumbling. The American Society of Civil Engineers graded the national infrastructure a D+ in 2017, with transit rated a D- and drinking water, dams and roads rated a D. Despite broad bipartisan recognition for the need to rebuild and expand, government spending on infrastructure fell by nearly $10 billion over the past decade, with increased spending on maintaining existing systems and decreased spending on capital projects. Professor Michael Graetz, co-author of The Wolf at the Door: The Menace of Economic Insecurity and How to Fight It, explains why we haven’t seen large-scale improvements in recent decades, ways to finance infrastructure projects to address the funding gap, and the regulatory and policy changes necessary to rebuild America.
