Many infrastructure privatizations still leave governments―and thus taxpayers―exposed to significant financial risks. This book examines these risks and considers how governments should respond to investors' requests for guarantees and other forms of government support. The report examines how governments can decide which risks to bear and which to avoid, how they can reduce the risks that private investors face without giving guarantees, and how they can measure, budget, and account for the risks they do take on.

Dealing with Public Risk in Private Infrastructure (World Bank Latin American and Caribbean Studies)

Business & Money

Klein, Michael

Irwin, Timothy

Thobani, Matee

Economics

World Bank Publications

<p>Government guarantees can help persuade private investors to finance valuable new infrastructure. But because their costs are hard to estimate and usually do not show up in the government's accounts, governments can be tempted to grant too many guarantees. Drawing on a diverse range of disciplines, including finance, history, economics, and psychology, 'Government Guarantees' aims to help governments give guarantees only when they are justified. It reviews the history of government guarantees and identifies the cognitive and political obstacles to good decisions about guarantees. It then develops a framework for judging when governments should bear risk in an infrastructure project (seeking to make precise the oft-invoked principle that risks should be allocated to those best placed to manage them); explains how guarantees can be valued; and discusses how aspects of public-sector management can be modified to improve the likely quality of government decisions about guarantees.<br><br>Although intended mainly for governments and those who advise them, the book may be of interest to others concerned about the problems of allocating and valuing exposure to risk. Similarly, although its focus is physical infrastructure, it may be relevant to people working on public-private partnerships in education, health, and other social services.</p>

Government Guarantees: Allocating and Valuing Risk in Privately Financed Infrastructure Projects (Directions in Development - Infrastructure)

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