Infrastructure

Infrastructure is the backbone of a functioning society and includes a wide range of facilities.
Below, you will find all our articles, publications, and thematic focuses on infrastructure.

See the topic page Infrastructure

Articles

Das Foto zeigt die Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos in Totale.

The African Renewable Energy Initiative: Promoting People-Centred Energy Solutions

Published: 14 June 2017

More than 640 million Africans live without electricity. This has negative impacts not only on the population’s health and education outcomes it also limits the development the economy.

Tasneem Essop

Section of the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project

When Clean Energy Gets Dirty: Experiences from Kenya

Published: 14 June 2017

The current discourse on renewable energy tends to centre on the positive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improved energy security, while the risks of social and environmental injustice are largely ignored.

Ikal Ange'elei

Publications

The Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Published: 22 October 2021

Study

The business of the AIIB is the financing of large infrastructure projects such as power plants, dams and transport routes. Such investments are inherently associated with high environmental and social risks, as well as corruption and high levels of debt. This study provides an overview of the institution's close alignment with China and its transparency and information disclosure rules.

Korinna Horta, Wawa Wang

Debt Relief by Private Creditors: Lessons from the Brady Plan

Debt Relief for Green and Inclusive Recovery Project

Published: 1 October 2021

This paper reviews the main features of and experiences with the Brady Plan, which in 1989 laid the foundation for the restructuring of the sovereign debt of mainly Latin American countries. It argues that the combination of credit enhancement for restructured debt, moral suasion, and tax as well as regulatory relief to encourage private creditors to participate in debt restructurings may provide a template for addressing today's sovereign debt problems.

Infrastrukturatlas 2020

Published: 11 October 2020

Atlas

Infrastructure and public spaces form the backbone of our society. The atlas illustrates the state of infrastructure in daycare centers, swimming pools, railways, utility networks, hospitals, and other areas. Above all, however, it highlights what infrastructure should achieve, how it can be designed sustainably, and how it can be improved in the long term for the benefit of all.

Perspectives 02/2017: Putting People Back Into Infrastructure

Published: 10 February 2020

This edition of Perspectives contributes to the ongoing debate on infrastructure development in Africa by sharing snapshots of experience from around the continent, exploring questions about democratic participation, the role of human and environmental rights, and economic transformation.

The Other Infrastructure Gap: Sustainability

Published: 29 October 2018

Mega-infrastructure plans and financing and investment policies to promote private investments in the energy, transport and water sectors are on the rise. This publication provides recommendations to policy- and decision-makers on how human rights and environmental benefits can be maximized.

Changing Societies through Urban Commons Transitions

Published: 8 February 2018

Why are urban commons so crucial for a social-ecological transition? A review on grassroots initiatives for urban commons transitions in the global north and south and the construction of an institutional framework.

Michel Bauwens, Vasilis Niaros

Contracts for Sustainable Infrastructure

Published: 18 December 2017

Infrastructure is essential to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and to the success of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Our partner IISD presents why governments must invest in sustainable infrastructure and how they can integrate sustainability into infrastructure contracts.

In search of policy coherence: aligning OECD infrastructure advice with sustainable development

Published: 8 June 2016

This report examines OECD “core documents” to assess whether the organisation’s advice promotes coherence among economic, social and environmental policies as they relate to infrastructure investment and concludes that OECD policy advice on infrastructure investment lacks coherence for sustainable development.