Municipal infrastructure and public policy : program evaluation of three case studies along the U.S.-Mexico border

Communities use municipal infrastructure for recreational activities, employment, health and safety, and the movement of goods and people (National Research Council, 1996). In addition, the government makes sizeable investments of public funds to address challenges such as population growth, maintenance needs, or regulatory requirements. However, there is no established practice to measure infrastructure's performance in meeting its objectives. Monitoring and evaluating funding programs and the consequent result of infrastructure in achieving its purpose could support a broader agenda of evidence-based policymaking that prioritizes scarce public resources, provides government transparency and accountability, and improves the interventions' effectiveness (Gertler et al., 2011).

This dissertation researches three case studies along the U.S.-Mexico border related to municipal infrastructure. Two of the case studies are linked but evaluated from different perspectives. The first evaluates the performance of water and wastewater infrastructure in reducing water-borne diseases in the Texas colonias. The living conditions and consequent diseases are what motivated policymakers to address the issue of insufficient water supply and wastewater treatment (Haass et al., 1996) (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 1996). This research applies a logic framework based on an existing model for evaluating results using data gathered from publicly available reports and over 90 interviews with service providers of how water and wastewater infrastructure investments increased wastewater coverage and improved lives in Texas.

The second builds on the framework of Chapter 1 to at a high level the distribution of federal and state funds and outcomes achieved across the 31 counties adjacent to the Texas-Mexico border, identifies where needs continue, examines population growth, and compiles programmatic and technical lessons learned. The research includes over 100 interviews with agency program managers and utilities. In addition, a geographical information system was used to develop a regression analysis on the allocation of funds and expected outcomes for 1995 through 2017.

Finally, the third evaluates a four-year program related to green infrastructure in Mexican border communities. Local authorities know very little about the topic or its application to roadway design. Design techniques can capture stormwater for immediate infiltration rather than collecting it at distant points as a contaminated source. A change in paradigms is required to plant the seeds needed to evolve engineering practices related to stormwater management.

This dissertation documents the results of water-related infrastructure programs across multiple agencies and two countries. The methods used in this research could be helpful to others who seek to evaluate programs that include technical assistance or construction funding and the performance of municipal infrastructure. In addition, lessons learned may benefit other developing nations investing in water and sanitation infrastructure and pollution prevention.