The Economic Impact of Seaport and Other Infrastructure Investments and Leakages: A Literature Review

This survey is of the growing body of research investigating the economic development effects of transport infrastructure expenditures, and seaport investments in particular. This literature employs a variety of methods, and draws varying conclusions. Our review suggests that the estimated investment effects are generally positive, and that there is considerable disagreement on the magnitude of the resulting productivity and employment benefits. The estimated impacts of seaport investments are particularly contentious. We identify cross-border investment benefit leakages as one potential determinant underlying this controversy, and find that the sparse literature on leakages delivers key insights that deserve more attention going forward.