中国基础设施的历史（建国后）

During the pre-reform period, they favored the development of thetransport network in Northern China, where heavy industries were located.

On the telecommunication side, investments were nearly nonexistent during thepre-reform period. Altogether, at the beginning of the 1980’s, China was arelatively poorly endowed country in terms of both transport and telecommunicationnetwork.

During thereform period, relatively low investments resulted in chronic shortages oftransport services and increased urban congestion.

From thebeginning of the 1990’s, investment in infrastructure has been reasserted progressivelyas a major national policy priority, leading to a large increase in the shareof transportation and telecommunication services in state fixed-assetsinvestment, up to 30% in 1998.

基础设施的作用

Investment in physical infrastructure can improve the productivity of all inputs in theproduction process and thus strength long-run growth performance by facilitating market transaction and the emergence of externalities among firmsor industries (Jimenez, 1995).

计量模型（略）

基础设施的测度:量与质

Villageaccessible to telephone

The number oftelephones per capita is a proxy for telecommunication development.

Transport endowment:the density of railway, road, and inland navigable waterway networks.

Of course, adensity measure gives only quantitative information on transportation infrastructureand does not say anything about its quality, e.g., accessibility and roadconditions.

The relationbetween infrastructure and growth may not be linear since the impact ofquantity.

基础设施的作用效果：开放与拥堵

In measuringthe role of infrastructure in economic growth, it is important to distinguishbetween opening-up and congestion related issues.

The former can be measuredthrough a transport density measure; the latter needs to account for populationdensity when infrastructure endowment is measured.