Recent Research: GRA Nobuhiko Daito has written a research note entitled “Infrastructure Public Private Partnerships in Cuba:An Overview.” Click here to read it!
Category: News
The Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Zeng Zhihong who has just begun a year-long visit to SPGIA to study rural governance modernization. Dr. Zeng, who goes by Merissa, is an associate professor at the School of Political Science and Public Administration and Southwest University in Chongqing, China, where she teaches administrative ethics, introduction to business management, frontier theory of public administration, and marketing. Before teaching at Southwest University, she was the editor at Reform Magazine at Chongqing Municipal Academy of Social Sciences.
During her visit to SPGIA, Dr. Zeng will be studying modernization of rural governance. After studying America’s experience with rural government modernization and reviewing previous studies on the topic she hopes to develop a model for the modernization of Chinese rural governance and also to apply what she’s learned to the process of Chinese urbanization.
On May 15, Center Graduate Research Associate Nobuhiko Daito was honored with the John E. Peterson Memorial Scholarship in Public Finance Policy. This scholarship is made possible by Mary Peterson and her family, in memory of their husband and father, John, a long-time faculty member and role model for all policy students.
Center Director Jonathan Gifford noted that Daito’s dissertation tackles a topic that was of great interest to John Peterson: public-private partnerships (or PPPs) for delivering infrastructure. Daito’s dissertation investigates private investment in U.S. highways using PPPs, how costs differ when they are used, and how their use affects broader social well-being. Daito is a dynamic and creative scholar, and we expect great things from him in the future. Congratulations Nobuhiko!
On March 30th IBTTA (International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association) held their Washington Briefing during which leaders in the transportation policy debate discussed key policy issues. The event brought together the “who’s who” in transportation and provided a forum to address critical issues with Congress and federal agencies. It also included a Hill visit and content including: Where Tolling Fits in Surface Transportation Policy & Funding; Transportation Authorization in Congress; What Customers, Critics and the Media Think About Tolling and Why; and State and Local Innovations in Surface Transportation Funding. Center Director Jonathan Gifford was invited to speak and his presentation, “Research Underpinnings of Tolling,” educated participants about road pricing, project selection, and the shift in transportation infrastructure. Please use the following link to view the presentation slides: Gifford – IBTTA – 2015-03-30 final.
Center Director Jonathan Gifford accepted an invitation to join the P3 Working Group of the Eno Center for Transportation. Dr. Gifford looks forward to collaborating with industry leaders and policymakers on the Group’s research program, identifying barriers to P3 agreements, developing methods to protect public interests, and advancing consideration of P3s in transportation. Eno is a neutral, non-partisan think tank that promotes policy innovation and provides professional development opportunities across the career span of transportation professionals.