A Review of Infrastructure’s Impact on Economic Development

This chapter summarizes some of the economic benefits from infrastructure in the context of developing countries, and considers the necessary conditions for these benefits to be realized. Infrastructure is defined here as the long-lived engineered structures, equipment, and facilities, and the services they provide, that are used both in economic production and by households. This grouping of “economic” infrastructure comprises public utilities (electric power, piped gas and heating, telecommunications, water supply, liquid and solid waste disposal), public works (major dam and canal works for irrigation, as well as roads), and other transport sectors (railways, urban transport, ports and waterways, and airports).