Subnational U.S. governments retain the primary responsibility of constructing and preserving the public infrastructure that connects communities and businesses, enhances public service delivery, and promotes economic development in their jurisdiction. Drawing from punctuated equilibrium and social vulnerability theories for context, the present study investigates the determinants of state infrastructure spending, specifically roads and highways and transit systems. It utilizes balanced panel data on 50 U.S. states over 17 time periods and fixed-effects regressions with year dummies in its investigation. Evidence shows that state infrastructure spending is influenced by disaster events as well as social vulnerability factors. However, the effects of disasters and social vulnerability factors on state infrastructure spending depend on the infrastructure categories, suggesting that the determinants are more nuanced than extant studies indicate.

中文翻译：

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国家基础设施支出的决定因素：检验间断均衡和社会脆弱性理论

美国地方政府保留建设和维护连接社区和企业、加强公共服务提供并促进其管辖范围内经济发展的公共基础设施的主要责任。本研究以间断均衡和社会脆弱性理论为背景，调查了国家基础设施支出的决定因素，特别是道路、高速公路和交通系统。它在调查中利用了美国 50 个州在 17 个时期内的平衡面板数据以及带有年份虚拟变量的固定效应回归。有证据表明，国家基础设施支出受到灾害事件和社会脆弱性因素的影响。然而，灾害和社会脆弱性因素对国家基础设施支出的影响取决于基础设施类别，这表明决定因素比现有研究表明的更为微妙。