June 22, 2020

Why the Government should spend more on capital

This paper argues that the Government should spend more on capital investment. The case was already strong before the Covid-19 crisis and has been strengthened since, as its financing has become more affordable. The paper highlights the importance of taking advantage of the present macro-economic environment afforded by low borrowing costs to provide stable – and sizeable – funding for new infrastructure through an increase in capital spending by the public sector. Additional capital spending, in excess of the fiscal rules, would be sustainable and affordable.

Authors

Dr Graham Gudgin

Chief Economic Adviser

Warwick Lightfoot

Senior Fellow (2016-2022)

Gerard Lyons

Senior Fellow

Jan Zeber

Deputy Head, Economics and Prosperity (2018-2021)

Join our mailing list