On cover: Infrastructure UK. Dated October 2010

This National Infrastructure Plan sets out the strategy for meeting the infrastructure needs of the UK economy. There are three elements to this strategy. First, the Government will plan for the medium term and across sectors. The Plan brings together a comprehensive cross-sectoral analysis of the UK's infrastructure networks and sets out a clear pipeline of over 500 infrastructure projects. Delivering these projects will ensure that the overall performance of the UK's infrastructure is maintained and improved over time. Second, to mobilise the finance required to deliver these projects, the Plan sets out a new approach to coordinating public and private investment in UK infrastructure. Funded through further reductions in current spending, additional investment in infrastructure is being announced. The Government will act to facilitate the private investment that will finance the majority of the UK's infrastructure. This includes bringing in new investors into UK infrastructure; introducing new sources of revenue such as tolling; allowing local authorities more flexibility in the way they use local receipts to fund major infrastructure in specific circumstances; and being willing to consider guarantees against specific risks that the market cannot bear. Third, the Government will take an active role in ensuring the infrastructure in the Plan is delivered efficiently and on time, with priority given to those projects most critical for economic growth. The Government is also reforming the planning and consenting systems to tackle these sources of cost and delay in infrastructure delivery.

Large-scale infrastructure projects, in sectors such as energy, rail, roads, water, waste, flood defences and digital communications, pose significant challenges. With limited funds available, the government is looking to private companies to wholly own and finance around 64 per cent of the £310 billion expected cost by 2015, with the burden of funding likely to shift towards the public as consumers rather than taxpayers. The first of the risks to achieving value for money is that forecasters might get wrong the need for infrastructure in the long term. Secondly, uncertainty over government policy might lead to deferment or abandonment of projects in the UK for opportunities elsewhere. Thirdly, there is the possibility of a failure to take into account the cumulative impact on consumers. Increasing the burden on consumers may increase the risk of financial hardship, or the need for unplanned taxpayer support. The full impact of spending on economic infrastructure in the years ahead is unclear. While there is information on individual sectors, no overall assessment has been undertaken by government. Taxpayers may be exposed to substantial losses as a result of government guarantees to bear some project risks should they materialize. The NAO has made a series of recommendations to help ensure value for money is achieved. It calls for the Treasury to work with departments and regulators to provide greater clarity for consumers regarding the financial impact of planned infrastructure investment. Where there are limits on affordability and availability of finance, the NAO notes that the Treasury and departments may need to refine their prioritization of infrastructure programmes and projects.

Infrastructure and its effects on economic growth, social welfare, and sustainability receive a great deal of attention today. There is widespread agreement that infrastructure is a key dimension of global development and that its impact reaches deep into the broader economy with important and multifaceted implications for social progress. At the same time, infrastructure finance is among the most complex and challenging areas in the global financial architecture. Ingo Walter, Professor Emeritus of Finance, Corporate Governance and Ethics at the Stern School of Business, New York University, and his team of experts tackle the issue by focussing on key findings backed by serious theoretical and empirical research. The result is a set of viable guideposts for researchers, policy-makers, students and anybody interested in the varied challenges of the contemporary economy.

'It really is terrific – just what the profession needs' * - Quod, Planning Consultancy By way of self-contained 'articles' focusing on the problems practitioners face on a daily basis, the authors share best practice, new ideas, updates on new developments and advice and solutions for problem areas explaining how to overcome common obstacles and thereby helping you navigate the Planning Act 2008 regime. The Fourth Edition covers: - The Examining Authority and the Secretary of State - National Policy Statements - Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects - Requirement for Development Consent - Pre-application Procedures - Information and Surveys - Making an Application - Contents of a Development Consent Order - Compulsory Purchase - Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats - Regulations Assessment - Pre-examination, Examination and Post-examination - Correction of Errors, Changes and Revocation - Legal Challenges - Enforcement It also includes the Planning Act 2008, consolidated and up to date to January 2022. Francis Taylor Building (ftb) is a leading set of barristers' chambers specialising in infrastructure law, environmental law, planning law, compulsory purchase, land valuation and other areas of the law. *Review of the National Infrastructure Planning Service This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's National Infrastructure Planning Service online service.

Transcontinental Infrastructure Needs to 2030/50 explores the long-term opportunities and challenges facing major gateway and transport hub infrastructures -- ports, airports and major rail corridors – in the coming decades.

Now in its third edition, Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy remains the definitive source for article-length presentations spanning the fields of public administration and public policy. It includes entries for: Budgeting Bureaucracy Conflict resolution Countries and regions Court administration Gender issues Health care Human resource management Law Local government Methods Organization Performance Policy areas Policy-making process Procurement State government Theories This revamped five-volume edition is a reconceptualization of the first edition by Jack Rabin. It incorporates over 225 new entries and over 100 revisions, including a range of contributions and updates from the renowned academic and practitioner leaders of today as well as the next generation of top scholars. The entries address topics in clear and coherent language and include references to additional sources for further study.

This book analyses the planning and policy world of major infrastructure as it is moving now in Europe and the UK. Have some countries managed to generate genuine consensus on how the large changes are progressed? What can we learn from the different ways countries manage these challenges, to inform better spatial planning and more intelligent political steering? Case studies of the key features of policy and planning approaches in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK are at the core of Planning Major Infrastructure. This includes the different regimes introduced in England and Wales, and Scotland, brought in by reforms since 2006. High speed rail, renewable energy deployment, water management, waste treatment - all raise critical planning issues. The case studies connect to the big issues of principle which haunt this field of public policy: how can democratic legitimacy be secured? How can ecological and economic transitions be managed? What is the appropriate role of the national government in each of these areas, as against other levels? What part has the EU played, and should it be involved in the future? These are some of the central themes raised in this innovating exploration of this currently high profile field.

All hail the new masters of Capitalism: How asset managers acquired the world Banks have taken a backseat since the global financial crisis over a decade ago. Today, our new financial masters are asset managers, like Blackstone and BlackRock. And they don’t just own financial assets. The roads we drive on; the pipes that supply our drinking water; the farmland that provides our food; energy systems for electricity and heat; hospitals, schools, and even the homes in which many of us live—all now swell asset managers’ bulging investment portfolios. As the owners of more and more of the basic building blocks of everyday life, asset managers shape the lives of each and every one of us in profound and disturbing ways. In this eye-opening follow-up to Rentier Capitalism, Brett Christophers peels back the veil on “asset manager society.” Asset managers, he shows, are unlike traditional owners of housing and other essential infrastructure. Buying and selling these life-supporting assets at a dizzying pace, the crux of their business model is not long-term investment and careful custodianship but making quick profits for themselves and the investors that back them. In asset manager society, the natural and built environments that sustain us become one more vehicle for siphoning money from the many to the few.