The Optimal Timing of Infrastructure Investment
This paper looks at the differences between the private firm and the public planner in timing investment in projects involving large sunk costs in growing markets. It shows that competition in the private sector will drive firms to invest earlier than the socially preferred date whilst a low ratio of private (producer) to public (producer plus consumer) benefits will cause them to delay relative to the socially preferred date. The paper looks at policy instruments for altering the private sector’s timing decision.