Is China’s infrastructure development experience unique?

ABSTRACT The rapid development of infrastructure in China over the last four decades has drawn not only considerable international media coverage, but also research interest from the academic world. Few studies, however, ask the question if China’s infrastructure development experience is extraordinary. By comparing the level and pace of infrastructure development between China and other countries, we find that the case of China is not unique at the country level. What is unique is the heavy use of infrastructure investment as a policy instrument to stimulate the economy, both at the upturns and downturns. The paper further identifies the key weaknesses of China’s infrastructure sector, and highlights the effects of economic, technological, demographic, and climate trends on the future of infrastructure, and discusses the directions of infrastructure development in the next 20–30 years.