Issue Infrastructure: where citizens experience state capacity directly

Summary

EY argues that in a period of declining trust, infrastructure is where government becomes something people can touch. Transport networks, water systems, ports, digital connectivity and the built environment are among the few places where citizens meet state capacity directly. When these systems fail or are badly designed, trust drops quickly, but when they work, or when failures are handled credibly, they can quietly rebuild confidence. Trust is shaped not only by results but by how long-term choices are made across a project's life, including whose needs come first, how risks and trade-offs are explained and whether benefits are shared fairly. Data-driven planning, digital twins and AI-based operations raise the stakes by adding data integrity, cyber resilience and accountability for automated decisions to the equation.