Citation

Torrance M. Econ. Geogr. 2009; 85(1): 75-97.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1944-8287.2008.01004.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Infrastructure assets around the world are shifting from public to private ownership. This article investigates how institutional investors are investing beyond their traditional financial and geographic borders and are increasingly serving as owners of infrastructure assets. It shows how infrastructure assets have specific geographies of information embedded in their investment returns and discusses the growing interest of institutional investors in investing in the infrastructure landscape. While infrastructure investments are considered globally, opportunities depend on the availability of specialist information in the region of investment. The article demonstrates that the low-risk, geographically varied returns match the diversification objectives of pension fund portfolios. Relational investing is important in implementing strategies for investing in the infrastructure, since the bidding on and ensuing ownership and management of infrastructure assets around the world require a combination of financial, legal, and technical expertise. The article addresses three distinct economic geography literatures: the geography of finance, pension fund research, and emerging debates on “relational geometries.”