ABSTRACT

The study uses a comparative case study approach to analyze contrasts and similarities of capital infrastructure management at the national level in Hungary, Germany, and the USA. Public investment has decreased in Germany and the USA while Hungary has benefited from significant public investments financed by EU funds over the past 15 years. Ageing infrastructure and public infrastructure maintenance has been found to be the weakest area in all three countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated existing challenges in underinvestment in public infrastructure. Political support for capital infrastructure project could be more important than cost-benefit estimates in the USA and Hungary. These study findings show that there has been an increased need to institutionalize recommended practices in capital infrastructure management at national levels of government, in particular during COVID-19 crisis. The countries have a unique opportunity to reinvest in capital infrastructure and jumpstart countries’ economy during COVID-19 crisis.

摘要

该研究使用比较案例研究方法来分析匈牙利、德国和美国国家层面资本基础设施管理的对比和相似之处。德国和美国的公共投资有所减少，而匈牙利在过去 15 年中受益于欧盟基金资助的大量公共投资。老化的基础设施和公共基础设施维护被认为是这三个国家中最薄弱的领域。COVID-19 大流行进一步加剧了公共基础设施投资不足的现有挑战。在美国和匈牙利，对资本基础设施项目的政治支持可能比成本效益估算更重要。这些研究结果表明，越来越需要将国家一级政府资本基础设施管理的推荐做法制度化，特别是在 COVID-19 危机期间。在 COVID-19 危机期间，这些国家拥有对资本基础设施进行再投资和启动国家经济的独特机会。