across sectors, in part because a significant share of this infrastructure has suffered from benign neglect in the past (for instance water infrastructure), in part because of the large transformation expected in developing countries in the future (growth in population, growth in per capita income, rapid urbanisation), and in part because of the new demands that will be put on such infrastructure for security reasons and in response to growing concerns about the environment. INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 - © OECD 2006 1. A CROSS-SECTORAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURES TO 2030 The second observation is that, especially in OECD countries, public funds are very likely to come under considerable pressure in the next few decades as the demands of ageing populations on health, pensions and social services begin to take their toll and governments face shrinking tax revenues. This suggests that public authorities will need to be more innovative in moving away from taxes to other forms of revenue raising for infrastructures (e.g. user charges), but also in helping to shape the respective roles that the public and private sectors can play in financing, building and managing infrastructure. The third observation is that - perhaps with the exception of the telecommunications sector - none of the other sectors has put in place an institutional framework that is up to the challenges of the future, including a regulatory framework that allows for the full and effective participation of private actors. The pricing of infrastructure services In a market economy, pricing plays a key role in maintaining a balance between infrastructure supply and demand, in providing guidance for investment decisions and in fostering efficiency. The role of prices has increased over the years in sectors that have moved from a command and control mode of regulation to a "regulated competition" regime. This is the case for network pricing in the telecoms sector an