The information in this report will be of special value to transportation officials, who are interested in the relationship between transportation and the economy, and to transportation analysts, who are interested in the economic analysis methodologies and decision rules that can be applied to future capital investments to foster continued economic growth and productivity. The recognition of capital investment as a principal catalyst of productivity, economic growth, and improved competitiveness has led transportation decision-makers to ask how best to identify productive transportation policies and investments. For private investment, market forces help ensure that the rate of capital formation is limited to profitable and productive levels and that individual investments make a net contribution to the nation's Gross National Product. In the public sector, where market forces are weak and objectives multifaceted, transportation executives and decision-makers must have access to special information about the potential for transportation policies and investment opportunities to stimulate productivity, economic growth and gains in the standard of living. Transportation officials also need information on the kind of transportation policies and investments that have growth-related characteristics and on the methods and procedures available to identify specific opportunities for productivity and growth through transportation policy initiatives and capital investments.
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