Economics

خطة مارشال للولايات المتحدة الامريكية

Aug 3, 2015 Dambisa Moyo

نيويورك-عندما انهار جسر رئيس على الطريق السريع في كالفورنيا في الشهر الماضي فإن تأثير ذلك على كامل منطقة جنوب غرب الولايات المتحدة الامريكية سلط الضوء مرة اخرى على المشكلة الخطيرة التي تعاني منها البلاد في مجال البنية التحتية بمعنى ان اضخم اقتصاد في العالم في حالة انهيار.

ان النفور الايدولوجي من استثمارات القطاع العام مع تفشي التفكير قصير المدى لاولئك الذين يكتبون الميزانيات قد جعل الانفاق على الطرق والمطارات والسكك الحديدية وشبكات الاتصالات وتوليد الطاقة في مستوى أقل بكثير من ما نحتاج اليه ولكن لم يعد بالإمكان الاستمرار في تجاهل المشكلة وان لم تتحرك الولايات المتحدة الامريكية بسرعة من اجل تزويد الانتعاش الاقتصادي الامريكي الهش بأساس قوي لبنية تحتية حديثة فإن من الممكن ان تجد الولايات المتحدة الامريكية نفسها تغرق مرة اخرى في الركود.

يبدو ان من البديهي ان اي اقتصاد متقدم يتطلب استثمار كافي ومستمر في السلع العامة ولكن حالة البنية التحتية في الولايات المتحدة الامريكية توحي بأن العديد من صناع القرار لا يؤيدون هذا الرأي. لقد اعطى تقرير اصدرته الجمعية الامريكية للمهندسين المدنيين سنة 2013 الولايات المتحدة الامريكية درجة اجمالية بائسة وهي د + للبنية التحتية فيها. لقد اشار التقرير الى أوجه قصور على مستوى الولايات بما في ذلك " 88 من السدود ذات مخاطر عالية و 1298 من الجسور التي تحمل عيوب هيكلية" في ولاية ميتشيجان و " الحاجة الى 44،5 مليار دولار امريكي لتطوير انظمة مياه الشرب" في كالفورنيا .

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 14 Comments on this article

daniel bernholtz Aug 16, 2015

Perhaps you can advise Mr. Trump on these matters.
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Milton Churchill Aug 9, 2015

For the life of me I do not understand the love affair betwwen left wing radicals and infrastructure spending. Clearly, the expanse of infrastructure has lead to a proliferation of carbon producing environment killing emissions from evil human transport vehicles. I
have an udea. Let all infrastructure crumble away to nothing, eliminate all vehicles and go back to horse and buggy. This way the environment would be saved and the government would no longer have to pay academics billions of dollars to study the problem of global warming.
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Akbar Montaser Aug 9, 2015

What about a Marshall Plan for Middle East, the countries our government devastated, resulting in turmoil and vicious groups such as ISIS now, supported by Saudi Arabia and Israel?
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j. von Hettlingen Aug 7, 2015

America's ageing infrastructure has been in trouble for years. It had grabbed headlines after a series of deadly incidents in which bridges collapsed, prompting Americans to wonder whether they should be more worried about death by infrastructure failure than terrorist attacks. There had been anger and disappointment that this could happen in one of the richest countries in the world.
The American Society of Civil Engineers has for several years released a report about America's infrastructure and the overall grade in 2013 was a "pathetic" D+. A decade ago there had been calls for tax increases to make funds available for repairs, but George W Buch rejected the idea. There was criticism that billions were spent on the war in Iraq, while neglecting the "crumbling" infrastructure at home. Today the US is having a hard time to keep up with the needs of a growing population, due to the lack of adequate funding and upgrading.
During the Golden Age America's highways and bridges were the envy of the world. Today the US invests may be less than 1% of its GDP in infrastructure, compared with 9/10% in China.
When Hillary Clinton was presidential candidate in 2008 she seized on the topic and talked about their billion-dollar plan to bring America's infrastructure into the 21st Century. Perhaps she should renew the pledge next year. Her set of policy proposals ranges from dealing with college debt to expanded access to childcare, a higher minimum wage, all of which are about boosting the middle class and raising wages.
Obama had a stimulus package that outlined how infrastructure improvements were delivered over the long term. The investiment would provide "new employment opportunities for low and un-skilled labor" and improve a community's overall economy. It would also create a win-win situation for state and local governments, that are eager to request funds to create needed jobs in their communities, and for long-term institutional investors, who look for "investments that match their long-term obligations". Modern infrastructure will enhance US competitiveness, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to follow through. If the money is spent wisely and think of the huge benefits, that can be enjoyed by many for years to come.
It's true that governments worldwide are struggling to find ways to fund infrastructure projects amid an economic downturn. It explains why the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has attracted so much interest. Instead of a "Marshall Plan", perhaps the US should join the AIIB as well.
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dan baur Aug 6, 2015

The infrastructure scam again... This nonsense just won't die.
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Nolan Z Aug 6, 2015

"And yet the problem can no longer be ignored."

I think you grossly underestimate Americans' ability to avoid. We have become a society of ditherers and hand-wringers that no longer has the capacity to tackle big challenges.
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Per Kurowski Aug 5, 2015

How many bridges have to collapse before the US remembers how efficiently it built bridges in the past?
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Fabrice Londeke Aug 4, 2015

Let's not use the collapse of this bridge in Southern California as an excuse for Keynesian economics. Yes, some bridges, highways, airports, and other infrastructures are in need of repair, but this should be handled by States and local governments. The 2009 stimulus package did not boost employment as many on the left predicted, so let's not get carried away with this Marshall Plan 2.0 rubbish.

The Highway trust fund has been running out of money, because it's mismanaged by politicians. If Congress is serious about US infrastructures, it should start by amending or repealing laws such as the Bacon-Davis Act and NEPA that increase the cost of infrastructure projects.

Cato's Chris Edwards' testimony to a US Senate Finance Committee highlights that,
"..fears about falling down bridges and the like, some pundits have portrayed our infrastructure as if it were in a deep crisis. However, some data indicate that our infrastructure is getting better. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data show that the nation’s bridges are improving in quality. Of the nation’s more than 600,000 bridges, the share that is “structurally deficient” has fallen from 22 percent in 1992 to 10 percent in 2012. The share that is “functionally obsolete” has also fallen."

Many of these projects and issues can be addressed at the State level. There is no need for federal (unfunded) mandates.
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Andrew Zimin Aug 4, 2015

So, Xi Jinping will take a Zhōnggúo Rénmín Jiěfàng Jūn parade 2015 on the square in front of the Capitol? It’s a very good news!
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Robbie Jena Aug 4, 2015

A Marshall Plan for China happened in 1983. We try to do it that year and the next but was turned down...You get what you pay for...
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M M Aug 3, 2015

You should see the poor infrastructure in Germany, the supposedly power house of Europe? Anything that does not push the equity markets upwards, is a no go for the perceived strong economies.
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Michael Public Aug 3, 2015

Whatever you are selling (civil engineering contracts?) I am not buying it. America has enough bridges and dams - and embarking on a project to build 'more infrastructure' will surely encounter the law of diminishing returns, or more likely the law of no returns.
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Gunnar Eriksson Aug 3, 2015

Europe suffer from the same malady!
Speculation and general rent seeking are the only attractive present pursuits for capital. A wealth tax on idle speculative capital is the answer.
- Michael Public Aug 4, 2015
  
  I support this idea as a highly valuable one to the general economy of all nations. Idle land and capital must be put to work.
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