Category: Archived News

April 27, 2016 –  Lisardo Bolaños collaborated with the Guatemalan Association of Non-Traditional Exporters in presenting their Roadmap to increase Guatemalan manufacturing exports.  Reducing the time and cost of domestic and international transportation is one of the main challenges to increasing exports.  For some manufacturing sectors, the ability to supply with short lead times can become an important competitive edge for a country so close to the United States.

Lisardo made it clear in the proposal and presentation that Public-Private Partnerships, or Alianzas para el Desarrollo (APD) or Alianzas Público-Privadas (APP), are an important tool that should be considered to tackle these challenges.  Moreover, taking into consideration the research Lisardo worked on for the Center, the proposal included some specific recommendations to manage the risks and increase the value of delivering transportation infrastructure projects via P3s, particularly in the case of renegotiations and bankruptcies.  The use of P3s was specifically highlighted as an alternative way to link the main cities of the country, via rail and roads, and also to improve the infrastructure and services provided in seaports.

The proposal can be found here (in Spanish).

http://export.com.gt/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Doc-Hoja-de-ruta-manufacturas-low.pdf

Some of the reports on the event can be found here (in Spanish).

http://www.dca.gob.gt/index.php/categoryblog-2/item/43620-industria-de-manufactura-se-traza-meta

http://www.prensalibre.com/economia/esperan-subir-exportaciones

Center Graduate Research Associate Lisardo Bolaños, who previously worked with a think tank in Guatemala, was interviewed about ten P3 projects to be implemented in Guatamela, including highways, railroad, airports, ports and a gas pipeline. Guatemalan P3 Agency, ANADIE, is evaluating the feasibility of these projects.

Different analysts and local government organizations mentioned concerns due to insufficient information on the projects and insufficient information given to the public on what P3s are and what their advantages are, as well as insufficient information on how local governments may take advantage of P3s. Bolaños, based on the research done at the Center, mentioned that it’s important that Guatemala: (i) enacts a Chapter 11-like legislation to guarantee the continuous operation of the projects in case of problems; (ii) enacts legal reforms to favor the buy-out of these projects as an alternative to bankruptcy and renegotiations; and (iii) promotes the use of mechanisms to prevent renegotiations, such as Dispute Review Boards.

To read the full article (in Spanish) in Plaza Pública by Julie López and Miguel González Moraga, click here.

On February 9, 2016, Dr. Jonathan Gifford gave a briefing to guests of the State Department’s International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). The program focuses on the role of public-private partnerships in restructuring economies. Click to view Gifford’s presentation, U.S. Transportation Public Private Partnerships: Governance and Institutional Arrangements.

Center Graduate Research Associate Jeong Yun (“JK”) Kweun is a 2016 recipient of George Mason University’s Summer Research Fellowship. The Fellowship provides funding for masters and doctoral level students to spend concentrated time on thesis or dissertation research over the summer break without the distraction of securing and carrying out other employment. JK was selected from dozens of highly-qualified applicants conducting cutting-edge, innovative research at the University.

Center Intern Vinh Mai’s research proposal, “How do developing countries like Vietnam attract worldwide highway developers to participate in P3 projects?” was recently selected for funding by George Mason University’s Undergraduate Research Scholar Program (URSP).  Through the research, Mai hopes to devise an innovative method for attracting global developers to Vietnam’s highway market. The work also aims to better understand why the promising Vietnam P3 market has not yet attracted more global interest.   Mai plans to share his findings with officials of the Vietnam Department of Transportation.

The URSP is designed to give undergraduates an authentic research, creative, or scholarly experience under the guidance of a mentor. Students may receive financial support and/or academic credit for their projects, in addition to developing relevant academic and professional skills.

November 12-14, 2015

Center Graduate Research Associate Lauren McCarthy presented a paper entitled “Social Enterprises and the Sharing Economy, The Case of Shared Use Transportation,” at the APPAM Fall Research Conference held Nov 12-14 in Miami, Florida. The Paper examines the relationship between social enterprise theory, the concept of shared value and where these theories are applied in the shared use model. Identifying three shared use businesses in the transportation sector, McCarthy presents evidence on how these businesses function, provide benefits to the community and are impacting existing public services.

APPAM’s multi-disciplinary annual research conference focuses on a wide variety of important current and emerging applied public policy research and management issues. The conference consists of panels, roundtables, workshops, symposia and poster presentations, and is designed to encourage substantive interaction among the more than 1,500 participants.

Click here to see McCarthy’s paper, as well as her conference presentation.