Vivien Foster

This report sheds light on the economics of electric mobility transition by addressing three questions: why is electric mobility for passenger transportation relevant to the developing world; when does it make sense to proactively pursue the transition; and how can policymakers accelerate adoption of electric passenger vehicles.

Fiscal risks associated with infrastructure are both more frequent and larger than previously assumed. Off the Books: Understanding and Mitigating the Fiscal Risks of Infrastructure quantifies the magnitude and prevalence of these risks in electricity and transport and identifies their root causes across a range of low- and middle-income countries.

During the 1990s, a new paradigm for power sector reform was put forward emphasizing the restructuring ofutilities, the creation of regulators, the participation of the private sector, and the establishment of competitivepower markets. Twenty-five years later, only a handful of developing countries have fully implemented theseWashington Consensus policies. Across the developing world, reforms were adopted rather selectively, resultingin a 'hybrid model' where elements of market-orientation coexist with continued state-dominance of the sector.This book aims to revisit and refresh thinking on power sector reform approaches for developing countries. Theapproach relies heavily on evidence from the past, drawing both on broad global trends, and deep case materialfrom 15 developing countries. It is also forward-looking; considering the implications of new social andenvironmental policy goals, as well as emerging technological disruptions.A nuanced picture emerges. While regulation has been widely adopted, practice often falls well short of theory;and cost recovery remains an elusive goal. The private sector has financed a substantial expa_nsion of generationcapacity. Yet, its contribution to power distribution has been much more limited, with efficiency levels cansometimes be matched by well-governed public utilities. Restructuring and liberalization have been beneficial ina handful of larger middle-income nations; but have proved too complex for most countries to implement.Based on these findings, the report points to three major policy implications. First, reform efforts need to beshaped by the political and economic context of the host country. The 1990s reform model was most successfulin countries that had reached certain minimum conditions of power sector development and offered asupportive political environment. Second, reform efforts should be driven and tailored towards desired policyoutcomes, and less preoccupied with following a predetermined process. Particularly given that WashingtonConsensus reforms alone will not deliver on twenty-first century policy objectives. Third, countries foundalternative institutional pathways to achieving good power sector outcomes, making a case for greater pluralismgoing forward.

Depuis quelques annees, un certain nombre d'economies emergentes jouent un role croissant dans le financement des infrastructures en Afrique subsaharienne. Globalement, leurs flux de capitaux sont maintenant d'une ampleur comparable a l'aide publique au developpement classique des pays de l'Organisation de cooperation et de developpement economiques (OCDE) ou aux apports financiers des investisseurs prives. Ces bailleurs de fonds non membres de l'OCDE incluent notamment la Chine, l'Inde et les Etats du Golfe, la Chine etant de loin l'acteur le plus important. Malgre l'importance des capitaux chinois affectes aux equipements d'infrastructure en Afrique, on sait relativement peu de choses sur la valeur globale et la destination des financements. Les auteurs de 'Batir des ponts' evaluent l'importance des flux financiers chinois sur la base des donnees d'information publiques tirees d'un large eventail de sources ecrites en chinois. A partir de ces donnees, ils determinent la repartition geographique des ressources, les types d'infrastructure finances, la taille et les conditions de financement des projets et les methodes utilisees pour acheminer les financements. Le role croissant que jouent la Chine et d'autres acteurs non membres de l'OCDE en tant que bailleurs de fonds importants est une tendance encourageante pour l'Afrique compte tenu de l'ampleur des besoins d'infrastructure du continent. Les investissements effectues par ces pays sont sans precedent, tant par leur niveau que par l'envergure des projets concernes. Les nouveaux acteurs et les nouvelles methodes de financement offrent matiere a reflexion pour les emprunteurs comme pour les bailleurs de fonds, anciens ou nouveaux. 'Batir des ponts' resume les problemes lies a cette courbe d'apprentissage, en particulier la necessite pour les pays de se doter des capacites necessaires pour negocier des transactions complexes et novatrices et faire appliquer des normes environnementales et sociales appropriees pour le developpement des investissements.

There is currently a need for the international community to improve its understanding of the new role that China is playing in the development of Africa's infrastructure and its implications for Africa's development. This report seeks to contribute to such an understanding by providing more solid estimates of the overall volume of finance, as well as an analysis of its composition. The report focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa, which is where infrastructure financing needs are particularly critical and where the bulk of the Chinese activity has taken place.

Infrastructure plays a key role in fostering growth and productivity and has been linked to improved earnings, health, and education levels for the poor. Yet Latin America is currently faced with a dangerous combination of relatively low public and private infrastructure investment. Those investment levels must increase, and it can be done. If LAC governments are to increase infrastructure investment in politically feasible ways, it is critical that they learn from experience and have an accurate idea of future impacts. This book contributes to this aim by producing what is arguably the most comprehensive privatization impact analysis in the region to date, drawing on an extremely comprehensive dataset.

While consumer utility subsidies are widespread in both the water and electricity sectors, their effectiveness in reaching and distributing resources to the poor is the subject of much debate. Water, Electricity, and the Poor brings together empirical evidence on subsidy performance across a wide range of countries. It documents the prevalence of consumer subsidies, provides a typology of the many variants found in the developing world, and presents a number of indicators useful in assessing the degree to which such subsidies benefit the poor, focusing on three key concepts: beneficiary incidence, benefit incidence, and materiality. The findings on subsidy performance will be useful to policy makers, utility regulators, and sector practitioners who are contemplating introducing, eliminating, or modifying utility subsidies, and to those who view consumer utility subsidies as a social protection instrument.

The study explores the link between infrastructure reform and poverty observed in Latin America. It details why infrastructure investment is likely to continue to be a core component of many poverty alleviation programs. The study also stresses why and how, in most countries, infrastructure reform aimed at promoting private financing of investment needs, must be designed in ways in which poverty concerns are taken into account. It provides practical guidelines and options to ensure that the critical needs for additional infrastructure investments are met and that the strategies to address the needs of the poor are as cost effective as possible.

It is well known that the voluntary sector in modern society is large in terms of economic activity - but how large? The authors of this pioneering book attempt to address this problem by utilizing survey techniques, originally developed in environmental economics, to place an economic value on the benefits provided by the voluntary sector in the UK. The authors comprehensively detail the analytical foundations of their survey methodology, a stated preference approach, and the results which were achieved. The economic value of the voluntary sector is elicited by discovering the general public's willingness to pay, to maintain charitable services that are at a hypothetical risk of closure. This willingness to pay is shown to be an important element of the economic value of the voluntary sector. The authors move on to investigate the benefits provided by the charitable sector in general and by housing and homelessness charities in particular.The book considers how, if people are willing to pay more for charities than they actually do, this economic surplus can be captured and turned into flows of income for the charities themselves. Fiscal incentives, the efficacy of various fund-raising methods and the benefits of population targeting are all examined as a means to this end. The book also discusses whether the value of charities can be defined in a wider context in terms of social capital.This highly innovative book will be of great interest to social economists, social scientists and all organizations working within and connected to the voluntary sector.