Scott Thomasson, president of NewBuild Strategies LLC, discusses policy and legislative issues affecting state investment in infrastructure, as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.

The Wall Street Journal comments that Americans don't want to live in Ray LaHood's car-free utopia; moreover, top-down transportation planning creates massive inequalities between states.

At a time when the country's infrastructure needs are more pressing than ever, Scott Thomasson offers pragmatic solutions for working around current congressional gridlock and unlocking modest yet critical infrastructure investment.

President Obama signed this executive order on infrastructure on March 22, 2012.

Peter Orszag looks at a dispute over water supplies in the southeastern United States to underscore the need for water policy reforms and greater infrastructure investment.

Rail infrastructure is a critical component of a transportation network capable of helping the United States compete in global markets. Efforts to expand and modernize U.S. rail, particularly to include high-speed trains, are under debate as lawmakers weigh costs and benefits.

Running down the list of the U.S. State Department's Latin America policy objectives in El País in September 2010, the economist Moisés Naím noted that they focused almost exclusively on domestic concerns.

Smart grids might revolutionize energy use and delivery, but there are associated security risks, particularly regarding communications technology.

This American Society of Civil Engineers report examines the widening gap between water infrastructure requirements and investment.

This report examines three bills to establish a national infrastructure bank and the possible implications of such a bank.

Will Oremus discusses the failure of the U.S. high-speed rail system to materialize, despite Obama's commitment in 2010 to spend $8 billion in fiscal stimulus on transportation infrastructure.

David Barboza and John Markoff explain why China's booming economy and growing technological infrastructure may thrust it to the forefront of the next generation of computing.

John A. Laitner explains why a shift is needed from price-driven energy policy towards one that focuses on income and investment.

Spencer Green discusses the future of smart cities, the developmental disparity between design and construction technology, and the implications of President Obama's stimulus bill for clean energy and renewed infrastructure.

This poll's findings look at small business owners' desire for growth and the challenges they perceive to be holding their businesses back, such as economic uncertainty and weak sales.

Keith Shneider explains how investment in physical infrastructure and street appearances can lure in new residents and fuel job growth.

Greg Hanscom uses an eco-district in Denver to show how community involvement in sustainable living could generate large energy savings.

Christopher B. Leinberger urges for investment in cities and inner-suburbs, with mixed incomes and access to transportation, as baby boomers and millenials move away from outer-ring areas.

Experts discuss policy steps taken by central banks in the United States, Brazil, and Europe, and analyze the challenges ahead.

This meeting is part of the McKinsey Executive Roundtable series in International Economics.