Creative Construction

February 10, 2026, Video: "Can democracies build large infrastructure? Conventional wisdom is that elected politicians avoid long-run projects as they heed the demands of immediate and local interests. This talk instead shows how reliance on the private sector allowed Latin American politicians to invest heavily in infrastructure, while undermining its quality. At a time when politicians and pundits in the US want to replicate corporate practices and minimize community input to get things done, the building boom in Latin America underscores the risks to the public and democracy."