Public works
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{{Wiktionary}}
'''Public works''' are the construction or engineering projects carried out by the [[state]] on behalf of the [[community]].
==Overview==
The notion of '''internal improvements''' or '''public works''' is a concept in [[economics]] and [[politics]]. The term [[public]] [[infrastructure]] refers only to the [[infrastructural capital]] involved in these activities.
An internal improvement is some [[construction|constructed]] object that augments a [[nation]]'s [[Economics|economic]] [[infrastructure]]; examples include [[airport]]s, [[canal]]s, [[dam]]s, [[dyke (construction)|dikes]], [[pipeline transport|pipelines]], [[railroad]]s, [[road]]s, [[tunnel]]s, and artificial [[harbour]]s.
''Public works'' is a slightly broader term, it can include such things as: [[Mining|mine]]s, [[school]]s, [[hospital]]s, [[water purification]] and [[sewage treatment]] centers. Municipal infrastructure, [[urban infrastructure]] and [[rural development]] are often used interchangeably but imply either large cities or [[developing nation]]s' concerns respectively. The terms public infrastructure or [[critical infrastructure]] are also used interchangeably but suggest the inclusion of some facilities like [[hospital]]s, [[bank]]s and concerns like [[national security]] and [[terrorism]] which are not under the mandate of local officials alone.
Reflecting increased concern with [[sustainability]], [[urban ecology]] and [[quality of life]], efforts to move towards [[sustainable municipal infrastructure]] are common in [[developed nation]]s, especially in [[European Union]] and [[Canada]] (where the [[FCM InfraGuide]] provides an officially mandated [[best practice exchange]] to move municipalities in this direction).
== Utility of investment ==
In some cases, it is argued that internal improvements can be used to reduce [[unemployment]]. Opponents of internal improvement programs argue that such projects should be undertaken by the [[private sector]], and not the [[public sector]]. However, in the private sector, entrepreneurs bear their own losses and so private sector firms are generally unwilling to undertake projects that could result in losses. Since it is politically unpopular for governments to use public revenues to bail out private firms that lose money, many times the preferred alternative is to have governments undertake unprofitable projects directly. Consequently, almost all significant infrastructure in the U.S., including the [[Transcontinental Railroad]], the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]], and the [[Interstate Highway System]], were created through federal investment (often employing private subcontractors). Large public works are associated with the opening of internal frontiers, as in the case of the [[Erie Canal]] and [[Trans-Siberian Railway|Trans-Siberian Railway]].
== Cost overrun and demand shortfall ==
[[Cost overruns]] and [[demand shortfalls]] frequently haunt public works projects. The main causes of cost overrun and demand shortfall are [[optimism bias]] and [[strategic misrepresentation]] (Flyvbjerg et al. 2002, 2005). [[Reference class forecasting]] was developed to curb optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation and thus arrive at more accurate cost and demand estimates.
== Sources and further reading ==
*[http://flyvbjerg.plan.aau.dk/JAPAASPUBLISHED.pdf Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette K. Skamris Holm, and Søren L. Buhl (2002), "Underestimating Costs in Public Works Projects: Error or Lie?" Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 68, no. 3, 279-295.]
*[http://flyvbjerg.plan.aau.dk/Traffic91PRINTJAPA.pdf Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette K. Skamris Holm, and Søren L. Buhl (2005), "How (In)accurate Are Demand Forecasts in Public Works Projects?" Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 71, no. 2, 131-146.]
*[http://www.jetpress.org/volume4/space.htm "Political Economy of Very Large Space Projects", ''Journal of Evolution and Technology''. vol. 4. November 1999.]
*[http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/2005/wb-eth-28feb.pdf Fighting Hunger and poverty in Ethiopia] ([[Peter Middlebrook]])
==See also==
*[[Demand shortfall]]
*[[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]]
*[[New Deal]]
*[[Public Works Administration]]
*[[Opera Publica]]
*[[Terraforming]]
==External links==
* [http://www.planete-tp.com/en/ Planete TP] - The world of public works
* [http://www.apwa.net American Public Works Association] - Professional society
==Some Public Works Communities==
* [[Pennsylvania]]
** [[Derry Township]]
** [[Harrisburg]]
** [[Hummelstown]]
** [[South Hanover]]
[[Category:Physical infrastructure| ]]
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[[ca:Obra pública]]
[[es:Obras públicas]]
[[fr:Travaux publics]]
[[ja:公共事業]]
[[pt:Obra pública]]
[[sr:Јавни радови]]