Do Voter Initiatives Improve Public Infrastructure Investment?

Public infrastructure investment through ballot initiative is of growing importance, both in California and nationally, but the policy consequences of funding and building infrastructure in this manner are relatively unexplored.

Because people must make these decisions on infrastructure investment in the voting booth, there should be some concern over whether voters have adequate information to make informed decisions among competing claims for infrastructure investment.

Recent work by UC Irvine and USC professor Mathew McCubbins sponsored by the Keston Institute for Infrastructure suggests that a lack of credible information on individual initiatives and the difficulty voters have in assessing the cumulative impacts of multiple initiatives, casts doubt on our ability to use the initiative process, at least as currently configured, to plan and construct needed infrastructure efficiently and effectively.

Thanks to Richard G. Little