The Role of Developing Country Firms in Infrastructure : A New Class of Investors Emerges

Abstract

Developing country investors have emerged as a major source of investment finance for infrastructure projects with private participation. The potential role of this investor class is encouraging. For policymakers it suggests a need to rethink privatization design, particularly the criteria used in selecting investors, which have been biased toward large international firms. The growth in new private infrastructure firms also matters because it should reduce the risk of collusion and other anticompetitive practices. This paper discusses the role of developing country investors, and their investment across regions.