EIB Papers Volume 13. n°1/2008 - European Investment Bank

20 Volume13 N°1 2008 EIB PAPERS
Finally, the contributions on infrastructure and economic geography show the need for better aligning
government interventions (infrastructure versus other policies) with the stated economic-policy
objectives. In particular, transport infrastructure is a double-edged sword in promoting economic
development in that it is unlikely to reduce interregional income inequalities, an insight on which
micro-economic and macro-regional analyses agree. Rather, regional convergence requires balanced
strategies that combine local infrastructure assets with efforts to boost peripheral regions’ humancapital
endowment and technological absorption capacity. More fundamentally, policymakers should
not undermine national growth strategies over legitimate concerns with regional development. The
empirical study on Russia in this volume demonstrates that the productivity effects can be greatly
different depending on whether new transport infrastructure connects vibrant markets with high
potential or remote regions with low potential.
Trans-European Networks are likely to enhance growth by removing still-acute cross-border
infrastructure bottlenecks even though it is probably misleading to advertise them under the
heading of regional convergence. International investment efforts should focus more on improving
cross-country interconnections in order to reflect the growing internationalization of production;
internalize cross-border spillovers; and reduce the risk of excessive urban primacy within countries.
Taken together, this volume combines new empirical results, updates on recent developments in
several infrastructure-related fields of economics, and key principles easily forgotten in politics.
We do hope that the articles provide valuable inputs for policymakers, policy advisors and project
practitioners alike.
Hubert Strauss