This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

 

Discussion

The following are notes and key questions that helped guide each session's discussion. The notes for lecture 1 provide an overview and introduction to the course. Notes for sessions 2, 3, and 24 are not available.

SES # TOPICS FILES
I. The economics of public goods and infrastructure
1 Infrastructure in crisis: History and introduction (PDF)
2 Infrastructure, public goods, and market failure  
3 Infrastructure, property rights, and regulations  
II. Infrastructure, economic stimulus, and development
4 Infrastructure stimulus and economic growth (PDF)
5 Infrastructure and development (PDF)
6 Infrastructure and regional development (PDF)
7 Infrastructure policies and emerging issues (PDF)
III. Infrastructure financing, funding and delivery
8 Infrastructure financing (PDF)
9 Infrastructure funding (PDF)
10 Infrastructure delivery (PDF)
11 Project financing (PDF)
IV. The energy system
12 The energy chain and market, part I (PDF)
13 The energy chain and market, part II (PDF)
14 Issues and challenges (PDF)
V. Energy and long-term development
15 Energy and economic development (PDF)
16 Social development and environmental conservation aspects (PDF)
VI. Energy infrastructure
17 Energy infrastructure: Needs and urgencies in the United States (PDF)
18 Energy infrastructure in emerging and other advanced economies (PDF)
VII. Energy security issues
19 Disruptions to energy supply (PDF)
20 Infrastructure protection, natural disasters, and terrorist threats (PDF)
VIII. Energy security and food security intertwined
21 Food vs. fuel? (PDF)
22 Emerging issues and policy implications (PDF)
IX. The political economy of energy
23 Political economy issues in the energy sector spectrum (PDF)
24 Regulations, constraints, and political processes of energy infrastructure  
25-26 Student presentations