Developing country investors and operators in infrastructure

Abstract

Starting from the late 1980s the underlying trend in public participation in infrastructure (PPI) has pointed upwards and is continuing to do so today. Cycles around the underlying trend are normal and reflect both global capital market conditions and learning experiences in developing countries. While the decline following the 1995-97 peak could appear to be a turning point, it should rather be seen as the burst of a large bubble of exuberance, principally in the power and telecommunications sectors. This paper, the phase 1 report on the study called the global overview of the emergence of developing country investors and operators in infrastructure provision in emerging markets, has the following contents: background on PPI; objectives and phasing of the study; the working database; findings; recommendations for phase 2; and annexes.