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Investments, in research or infrastructure for example, may be economically justifiable in terms of enabling future growth (3.2.8) or as a stimulus to reduce unemployment during an economic downturn (3.3.8.2). For each project, though, politicians also need to gain political support, which partly depends upon their ability to explain the economic case and partly upon it being seen to have wider benefits; people can sometimes be persuaded to support a project on the basis of improved quality of life even if the financial return on investment is meagre or difficult to prove.[1]
It would be prudent to plan to pay off any debt incurred for an infrastructure project by the time when the investment ceases to be of benefit, or has to be replaced.
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[1] The De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on the South coast of England was an example of building a political consensus for a project that was both an improvement in quality of people’s lives and a commercial investment to bring in business. Its history was summarised on a web-site which was available in May 2014 at http://www.discoverbexhill.com/delawarrhistory.php.