The rising trend of tourists selecting agrotourism as a tourist destination has become an intriguing study issue. Seremban is a well-known tourist attraction that is popular among visitors. As a result, Seremban has been selected as the study site. However, river pollution may have an influence on Seremban’s natural environment and agrotourism potential. Furthermore, inadequate infrastructure, such as unauthorized parking, exacerbated the inhabitants’ problems. A growing number of young people leave Seremban to pursue employment or further education in other cities, with no desire to work as farmers. The labor scarcity has also made it difficult for farmers to grow their farms. Consequently, the study aims to examine how factors such as the natural environment, tourist infrastructure, perceived social advantages, and perceived barriers influence the attitudes of Seremban residents towards agrotourism, with a focus on its potential for driving economic growth. This study adopts quantitative research methods, employing descriptive and causal research designs. Primary data collection is conducted through questionnaires, supplemented by secondary data. Non-probability quota sampling is utilized due to the absence of a specific sampling frame, with a sample size of 385 respondents determined using G*Power software. Constructs are developed based on previous research, and the questionnaire comprises Likert-scale items to gauge attitudes and perceptions. A pilot study assesses the instrument’s reliability. Data analysis is performed using SPSS software, encompassing multiple linear regression and Pearson correlation analyses in addition to descriptive statistics. The findings provide valuable insights into the factors driving residents’ perceptions of agrotourism in Seremban, emphasizing the importance of the natural environment, tourism infrastructure, perceived social benefits, and perceived barriers in shaping attitudes. Additionally, the study highlights the resilience of residents’ positive attitudes toward agrotourism, despite potential challenges and barriers identified. Overall, these results offer implications for policymakers and stakeholders involved in tourism development in the region.

This study updates Pereira and Pereira by revisiting the macroeconomic and budgetary effects of infrastructure investment in Portugal using a dataset from the Portuguese Ministry of the Economy covering 1980–2019, thereby capturing a period of austerity and decreased investment in the 2010s. A vector-autoregressive approach re-estimates the elasticity and marginal product of twelve infrastructure types on private investment, employment, and output. The most significant long-term accumulated effects on output accrue from investments in airports, ports, health, highways, water, and railroads. In contrast, those in municipal roads, electricity and gas, and refineries are statistically insignificant. All statistically significant infrastructure investments pay for themselves over time through additional tax revenues. Compared to the previous study, highways, water, and ports have more than doubled their estimated marginal products due to a significant increase in relative scarcity over the last decade. In addition, our analysis reveals an important shift in the impacts of infrastructure investment, now producing more substantial immediate effects but weaker long-term impacts. This change offers policymakers a powerful tool for short-term economic stimulus and is particularly useful in addressing immediate economic challenges.

Solid waste has become a major environmental concern globally in recent years due to the tremendous increase in waste generation. However, these wastes (e.g., plastics and agro-residues) can serve as potential raw materials for the production of value-added products such as composites at low cost. The utilization of these waste materials in the composite industry is a good strategy for maintaining the sustainability of resources with economic and environmental benefits. In this report, the environmental impacts and management strategies of solid waste materials are discussed in detail. The study described the benefits of recycling and reusing solid wastes (i.e., plastic and agro-waste). The report also reviewed the emerging fabrication approaches for natural particulate hybrid nanocomposite materials. The results of this survey reveal that the fabrication techniques employed in manufacturing composite materials could significantly influence the performance of the resulting composite products. Furthermore, some key areas have been identified for further investigation. Therefore, this report is a state-of-the-art review and stands out as a guide for academics and industrialists.

Our intention in assembling this special issue of the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development is to offer a state-of-the-art tour through the political economy issues associated with the provision of public infrastructure, and with the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in particular. Anyone who is familiar with PPPs cannot fail to be impressed by the diversity of positions and claims regarding their properties. Some scholars maintain that PPPs are an efficient tool to enhance productivity due to their ability to manage demand-side risk. In contrast, other scholars see in PPPs a scheme whereby the public assumes the risk while the private partner takes the profit.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can be an effective way of delivering infrastructure. However, achieving value for money can be difficult if government agencies are not equipped to manage them effectively. Experience from OECD countries shows that the availability of finance is not the main obstacle in delivering infrastructure. Governance—effective decision-making—is the most influential aspect on the quality of an investment, including PPP investments. In 2012, the OECD together with its member countries developed principles to ensure that PPPs deliver value for money transparently and prudently, supported by the right institutional capacities and processes to harness the upside of PPPs without jeopardizing fiscal sustainability. Survey results from OECD countries show that some dimensions of the recommended practices are well applied and past and ongoing reforms show progress. However, other principles have not been well implemented, reflecting the continuing need for improving public governance of PPPs across countries.

The provision of infrastructure and related services in developing Asia via public–private partnership (PPP) increased rapidly during the late 1990s. Theoretical arguments support the potential economic benefits of PPPs, but empirical evidence is thin. This paper develops a framework identifying channels through which economic gains can be derived from PPP arrangement. The framework helps derive an empirically tractable specification that examines how PPPs affect the aggregate economy. Empirical results suggest that increasing the ratio of PPP investment to GDP improves access to and quality of infrastructure services, and economic growth will potentially be higher. But this optimism is conditional, especially on the region’s efforts to further upgrade its technical and institutional capacity to handle complex PPP contracts.