World Bank

"A study undertaken by the World Bank in 2019 found that [China’s high-speed rail system is economically viable](private://read/01k3jwt46q240aq6fe12mqkyr0/16_Notes.xhtml#_idTextAnchor309), with ticket revenues able to recoup costs. China has been able to build high-speed rail cheaply because it has standardized designs and excellent project management. The average cost to construct a high-speed line in China is about $33 million per mile, which is 40 percent cheaper than in Europe and 80 percent cheaper than California’s effort, which has seen [costs balloon](private://read/01k3jwt46q240aq6fe12mqkyr0/16_Notes.xhtml#_idTextAnchor310) to $192 million per mile. By taking a broader view, the World Bank suggests that China’s high-speed rail has delivered substantial benefits beyond ticket revenues, which includes saving time for users, [increasing intellectual and business exchanges](private://read/01k3jwt46q240aq6fe12mqkyr0/16_Notes.xhtml#_idTextAnchor311), [reducing road accidents](private://read/01k3jwt46q240aq6fe12mqkyr0/16_Notes.xhtml#_idTextAnchor312) and traffic congestion, and [lowering carbon emissions](private://read/01k3jwt46q240aq6fe12mqkyr0/16_Notes.xhtml#_idTextAnchor313)."

"He did this, in part, through a network of carefully cultivated connections in business and government. His was an international circle that included President Lyndon Johnson of the United States; Jean Monnet, the father of the European Common Market; Gianni Agnelli, chairman of Fiat; Eugene Black, president of the World Bank; David Rockefeller, chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank; General Lucius Clay, the mastermind of the Berlin airlift; David Sarnoff, the head of RCA; and Bill Paley, president of CBS."

"Alcohol had long been a major cause of early deaths in Russia, so the government knew there was a lot to gain by trying to change people’s drinking habits. There was also a lot of fake vodka for sale, made from petrochemicals and very often deadly. One manager at the plant was hospitalised for five weeks after drinking such store-bought fake vodka. This was the situation when Bravo was started and it was probably one of the reasons that the World Bank gave a $100 million loan facility to the brewery. It was there to support the government, and this was one way of doing so."