Explaining the Australian Local Government Infrastructure Expenditure Backlog: A Market Failure Approach

Most local government systems across the developed world exhibit significant local infrastructure backlogs and Australian local government is no exception. While most of the scholarly literature has focused on ameliorating the problem, comparatively little effort has been expended on explaining the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic papers (Economic Society of Australia) 2014-09, Vol.33 (3), p.275-284
Main Authors: Simmons, Phil, Dollery, Brian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Appropriations and expenditures
Australia
Authority
discounting
Expenditure
Infrastructure
Investment
Investments
Local government
Market failure
Markets
Public infrastructure
service provision
Social services
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Summary:Most local government systems across the developed world exhibit significant local infrastructure backlogs and Australian local government is no exception. While most of the scholarly literature has focused on ameliorating the problem, comparatively little effort has been expended on explaining the emergence of the local infrastructure backlogs. This paper addresses this question by employing a market failure theoretical framework to better understand gaps occurring in local government infrastructure both in Australia and elsewhere. We show how these gaps indicate local authorities are discounting infrastructure investment at higher rates than for local services.
ISSN:0812-0439
1759-3441
DOI:10.1111/1759-3441.12083