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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Erik Jenelius; Lars-Göran Mattsson |
| Abstract: | Disruptions in the road transport system can have severe consequences for accessibility and transport costs. These impacts vary depending on in which regions they occur (regional importance), and users may be affected differently depending on where they travel (regional exposure). Some disruptions (caused by, e.g., car crashes, minor landslides and floods) affect only single road links, whereas others (e.g., heavy snowfall, storms and wildfires) disable extended areas of the road network. In this paper we systematically analyze the vulnerability of road networks under both kinds of disruptions. We apply the analysis approach to the Swedish road network using travel demand and network data from the Swedish transport modeling system Sampers. We investigate to what extent regional disparities in vulnerability depend on the network structure and travel and location patterns. For single link failures, we find that the total impacts (measured as travel time increases) depend strongly on the network density and the average traffic load in the region, whereas the average impact per traveler in a region is largely determined by the network density and the average user travel time. For area-covering disruptions, the study shows that the impacts depend strongly on the amount of internal, outbound and inbound travel demand of the affected area itself. As a result, the worst-case impact per traveler in a region is largely determined by the concentration of the population to one central location. Our findings, which should be universal for most road networks of similar scale, reveal that the vulnerability to single link failures and spatially spread events display markedly different regional distributions. Furthermore, these regional disparities stem from fundamental properties of the transport system and the population distribution. Hence, we believe that resource allocation for reducing vulnerability is more an issue of preparedness and mitigation than redundancy-providing infrastructure investments. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p448&r=tre |
| By: | Karst Geurs; Henk Meurs |
| Abstract: | The Dutch government has decided to gradually introduce a complex national road pricing system in the years 2012 to 2018. Existing car purchase taxes and the annual road taxes are to be replaced by a kilometre-based charging system. Several appraisal studies have been conducted to examine the impacts of different pricing variants, using the well-known Dutch national model system (NMS) and the national car market model DYNAMO. The car market model has recently been developed and simulates yearly car ownership and car purchase behaviour of households at a detailed level (120 car types * 70 household types), and endogenously models second hand car prices as a pricing mechanism to create an equilibrium in supply and demand. The Dutch road pricing scheme is expected to have major impacts: car ownership is projected to increase by 5-6% in the long run, car use is to reduced by by 10-15% and congestion on the main motorway network in 2020 by about 50%, compared to a reference scenario. Cost-benefit analysis studies, using output from the transport models, show significant positive welfare effects. This paper will review existing appraisal studies on the impacts of the kilometre charge, and describe the Dutch car market model DYNAMO and projections of the impacts of different CO2 pricing schemes. Results from DYNAMO estimations show that abolishing existing car purchase and road taxes by a CO2 differentiated kilometre charge has unintended consequences in the form of rising car ownership and increasing shares of diesel cars and relatively large and heavy vehicle types. Explanations for these unintended effects are that households react more to present one-off fixed costs than to recurrent variable costs, and total car costs are reduced for households with relatively low car mileages. For households with low car usage, the reduction of fixed car taxes is not fully compensated by increases in variable costs, and savings can be used to buy a more expensive and larger car. However, overall environmental impacts of CO2 differentiated kilometre charges are quite positive resulting from the reduction in car travel. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1438&r=tre |
| By: | Ying Jin |
| Abstract: | Title: Impacts of road pricing upon travel demand in an integral city region: a case study of London and its surrounding regions Updated abstract: This paper aims to study ways in which the impacts of road pricing upon travel demand can be examined in the wider city region, with a view to inform the design and possible future adaptations of road charges. Its theoretical framework incorporates the medium to long term impact of transport costs (including road charging) upon business location and commuting patterns. A case study is carried out on London and its surrounding regions, through a review of existing evidence and a set of simulation tests using a land use/transport model that has been calibrated to represent realistic travel demand elasticities. The new feature of these simulation tests is that they account for business productivity effects as well as land use/transport interaction. A generic, city-region wide marginal social cost pricing scheme is estimated together with different land use development scenarios to identify directions and range of the effects. The model results show that the social marginal cost based road pricing scheme can have significant long term impacts upon travel demand if they trigger land use changes, which could either enhance or negate the initial travel time savings and reliability benefits. Note: an extended abstract has been previously submitted via email to convenor. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1482&r=tre |
| By: | Jonas Westin |
| Abstract: | The purpose of the presentation is to analyze the labor market effects of a congestion charge when commuters have continuously distributed value of time. Since a congestion charge raises the cost of commuting to work, it can decrease employment at the extensive margin in a similar way as an income tax. Without any form of revenue recycling, the resulting welfare loss from the decreased employment can even exceed the Pigouvian welfare gain from internalizing the congestion externality. A common conclusion in the literature, when comparing different revenue recycling schemes, is that it in general is more effective to use the revenues to cut taxes in the labor market compared to subsidizing public transport or returning them in a lump-sum transfer. A critical assumption in many of the previous cost-benefit analyses of congestion charges is however that there only exists a single value of time. This is somewhat surprising since one of the main features of a congestion charge is that it sorts people according to their value of time, given the existence of feasible transport alternatives. This paper intends to challenge this conclusion by analyzing how previous results hold if we, instead of using a representative individual, consider a population with a continuously distributed value of time. The model used in the paper is created with the Stockholm congestion charging trial in mind, but the analysis can just as well be applied to any city with a well developed public transport service. In the paper a simple traffic model is embedded within a general equilibrium framework where a large number of individuals with different values of time choose labor supply at the extensive margin and mode of transportation. In contrast to previous models, a modal-choice approach is used to model how the value of time for different individuals affects their choice of travel mode. The disaggregated travel demand model makes it possible to analyze how self-selection of mode choice affects labor supply, total welfare and the relative performance of the different revenue recycling schemes. Special attention will also be given to the distributional impacts of the different recycling schemes. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1458&r=tre |
| By: | Marco Migliore; Salvatore Amoroso; Valeria Cardaci; Mario Catalano |
| Abstract: | In the last years we have observed a sub-urbanization process or 'sprawl' process (low density inhabitant models), caused by new economic and production conditions, by a free diffusion of new habitant models in territory, by new organization models of social relationships and by one-side power of road mode and in particular the private use. Commuters need to reach quickly own destinations and the traffic and parking problems in central areas increase mainly the importance of multi-modal displacements in an integrated transport system between public and private mode. Planner role should re-balance modal choice in favour to public transport and motivate passenger intermodality integrating the private car with transit. The optimal location and design of modal shift nodes for potential users involved in multimodal transfers in a urban and metropolitan context, is one of the most important issues in transport system design and planning. Several algorithms have been developed to face this issue. The main idea was to locate such nodes in areas of adequate size, well connected to the road network and public transit in order to minimize the time required for the transfer, taking into account the variation of transport demand in the various stages of decision-making process (generation, distribution, modal choice and transfer route). The aim of the proposed research is to analyze the attractiveness towards passenger modal shift nodes in relation to their potential territorial role and the optional services they can offer, which are relevant in vast urban areas. In particular, the metropolitan area of Palermo, and its outskirts which is taking the connotations of a large expanded city, will be a good case study to verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. The results define the operational criteria for the optimum location of passengers modal shift nodes in an environment characterized by a spread urban area composed by many municipalities, taking into account the role each node has in the territory and its ability to influence the transport demand in space and time. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1606&r=tre |
| By: | Veronika Killer; Kay W. Axhausen; Christian Holz-Rau; Dennis Guth |
| Abstract: | This study points out the effect of road infrastructure improvement between 1970 and 2005/06 and the resulting change of travel time in Germany and Switzerland. Reconsidering the interaction between the transportation system and land use, the paper contributes to the ongoing discussion about induced travel and infrastructure capacity. The impact of highway capacity expansion on land use has been studied worldwide focusing on urban areas. This study goes one step further. We detect changes in suburban and rural areas by this national comparison. The generation of a historical travel time dataset applies a method developed for Switzerland in previous studies and is adjusted for Germany according to its political, structural and topographical situation. The method is based on a historical network and estimated mean car speeds on different road types varying between densely or sparsely populated areas. Travel time matrices between all municipalities in Germany and Switzerland are calculated and validated by a regional comparison. Three indexes are developed to detect regional effects of travel time. The results are regionally segmented by a spatial cluster analyses named Getis-Ord’s Gi* statistics. The spatial overview of the three travel time indexes takes into account the national and regional level. The historical travel time dataset is successfully validated. This useful data is needed for later investigation on commuting behaviour. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1017&r=tre |
| By: | Ida Kristoffersson; Leonid Engelson |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes how different user groups are affected by changes to the present congestion pricing scheme in Stockholm. The Stockholm congestion pricing scheme has shown that pricing of transport systems can reduce congestion and increase accessibility in the city centre. The pricing scheme can however be improved when it comes to ability to mitigate congestion without unnecessarily affecting user groups whose contribution to congestion is minor. A large number of theoretical studies have been made on equity effects of congestion pricing. Eliasson and Mattsson (2006) extend the theoretical literature with a quantitative methodology for evaluation of equity effects of real-world pricing schemes. In the mentioned paper, Eliasson and Mattsson conclude that analysis of equity effects have to be carried out for specific cities and specific congestion pricing and refund schemes to be able to draw any conclusions on whether a congestion pricing policy is regressive or progressive. We study effects of modifications of the congestion pricing scheme using a recently developed dynamic transport model for Stockholm called SILVESTER. Choice of departure time is modeled in SILVESTER, which is very important (but often omitted) since both congestion and the charge one has to pay is time-dependent. Car travel times and time spent in queues are calculated using mesoscopic traffic simulation. SILVESTER models car users, but they can switch to public transport, which makes it possible to evaluate the mode switch effect induced by a specific congestion pricing scheme. Possible modifications to analyze include changes to charged amounts, timetable and locations where the charge is levied. Regarding user groups, this paper analyzes effects for three different group categories: income, household type and occupation. SILVSTER allows for analysis of how costs and benefits are distributed across origin-destination-pairs and trip purposes. In order to compare costs and benefits for user groups, the share of trips that each group performs are calculated per origin and trip purpose. Furthermore, the effects of congestion charges for different user groups are, to a large extent, dependent on how revenues are used. This paper therefore also compares two refund strategies: lump-sum and improvement of public transport. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1455&r=tre |
| By: | Francesca Medda |
| Abstract: | The individual’s perception of transport cost usually does not include the full social cost of transport, as in for instance, its global environmental effects. Under this view, we observe a mismatch between individual perception and general social transport cost and welfare. In order to overcome this paradox, we need to induce a shift from the limited individualistic perspective to a more socio-economic view, whereby ethical judgments play a role in the economic decision-making process. Transport accessibility is here examined as a merit good and we therefore assume the necessity for government intervention in its provision. However, transport accessibility may be achieved through different levels of merit good values, as for instance, rail intervention versus road intervention. Some transport systems achieve greater fairness in accessibility, thus a higher merit good value; this implies that social planners need to discriminate various levels of subsidy and investment in relation to the fairness in transport accessibility. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1124&r=tre |
| By: | Spiller, Elisheba (Resources for the Future); Stephens, Heather; Timmins, Christopher; Smith, Allison |
| Abstract: | This paper determines the extent to which gasoline price elasticity is affected by the availability of a substitute for driving—public transportation. Measuring the substitutability of public transportation presents an important practical difficulty. To address this, we predict individuals’ commute times by private and public transit conditional upon their observable characteristics and create a measure of substitutability between the two modes based on transit times. This allows us to measure the effect of public transportation on commuters’ sensitivity to gasoline prices. The interaction of gasoline price with our constructed substitutability measure is found to have a significant effect on annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT), indicating that investments in public transit could play an important role in altering motorists’ sensitivity to gasoline prices and increasing the effectiveness of a gasoline tax. However, we find evidence to support a policy of increasing public transit accessibility only in the presence of increased gasoline taxes. |
| Keywords: | public transportation, elasticity, commuting, gasoline prices |
| JEL: | Q0 H0 |
| Date: | 2012–07–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-12-29&r=tre |
| By: | Wenjie Wu |
| Abstract: | Over 140 billion CNY (1GBP=10CNY) has been spent between 2000 and 2012 in Beijing on the construction of new rail transit lines. This massive public investment allows me to examine the consequences of transport improvements for land prices near rail stations. Using unique vacant parcel-specific data, I estimate the significant heterogeneity in the capitalization effects of rail transit development for multiple land uses in Beijing urbanised area. The results show that these transport improvements, identified by the parcel-station distance reductions, give rise to sizeable price premiums in the local residential and commercial land markets. Strikingly, the difference between the increase in the value of residential and commercial land parcels are not distributed evenly. These findings lend to support the evidence that public investment has an essential role to play in spurring the spatially targeted land market and provide implications for further land and transport policy making in China. |
| Keywords: | Land prices, transport improvement, Geographical Information System, China |
| JEL: | H41 Q51 R41 |
| Date: | 2012–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:sercdp:0116&r=tre |
| By: | Miquel-Angel Garcia-Lopez |
| Abstract: | At the present time, most large cities in the world are polycentric and, at the same time, they are undergoing a process of employment and population decentralization. Gordon and Richardson (1996) argued that polycentricity is just an intermediate stage between monocentricity and a more unstructured, chaotic and amorphous location model, the dispersed city. Focusing their attention only on main centers, they neglected the role of transport infrastructure on urban spatial structure. On the contrary, New Urban Economics theoretical models (e.g. White, 1976; Steen, 1986; Sullivan, 1986) show that employment and population location is structured not only around main centers, but also around transport infrastructure. In a context of employment and population decentralization, transport infrastructure might be reinforcing its location role and a new location model might emerge, the accessibility city, in which employment and population continue to be concentrated but close to transport infrastructure and with more low-density settlements. For the case of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, we study the spatial distribution of population and its evolution between 1991 and 2006. The goal is to provide some insight into the location model discussion by taking into account the role of transport infrastructure and, therefore, considering the accessibility model as an alternative spatial configuration. Results reveal a multi-nodal distribution for population, with movements that are, indeed, away from the main centers but often into transport infrastructure. As a result, the accessibility city seems to be emerging. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p521&r=tre |
| By: | Benjamin Kickhöfer; Dominik Grether; Kai Nagel |
| Abstract: | Public acceptance has often been named as a key factor for the successful realization of transport projects and policies. One reason, why even economically efficient projects might not be accepted by the major part of the population, could be the unequal distribution of benefits. For instance, individuals with higher Values of Time are expected to benefit more from user-financed improvements in the quality of service (e.g. speed) of any transportation mode. Beyond that, the implementation of road pricing schemes is actually discussed to have a regressive effect on the welfare distribution under certain conditions. In order to address these issues, microscopic multi-agent simulation presented in this paper can be used. Policy makers are directly able to compare the impacts of different policy schemes on the welfare distribution and can thus identify alternatives with higher public acceptance. Generally, by using the multi-agent approach, any segregation of individuals among any socio-demographic attribute is possible what allows a more detailed view on the effects of a policy measure. Furthermore, in contrast to applied economic policy analysis, this framework allows choice modeling and economic evaluation to be realised in a consistent way. This paper shows that (i) the inclusion of individual income in the users' preferences leads to a better understanding of problems that are linked to acceptability, (ii) benefits of transport projects are likely to rise disproportionally with increasing income - both, in terms of utility change and in terms of money -, and (iii) the simulation is already feasible for a real-world large-scale scenario with almost two million individuals. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1022&r=tre |
| By: | Thomas Vanoutrive |
| Abstract: | The link between economic activity and freight transport is a classic issue in regional science. A subtopic is the impact of economic activity on the demand for maritime transport through ports. Understanding this relationship contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of port throughput, which is important for infrastructure planning and other strategic decisions. This paper focuses on the port of Antwerp (Belgium) and applies some different methods to model port throughput. Moreover, we discuss the differences between commodity groups and the impact of neighbouring ports on the model results. As a result, the results will also be relevant for other ports. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p881&r=tre |
| By: | Ari Tarigan; Stian Bayer; Christin Berg |
| Abstract: | The growth and expansion of commercial locations followed by urban sprawl and significant change in demographic and socio-demographic characteristics of urban resident have taken place in the Stavanger region, Norway - partly due to its role as 'the Petroleum Capital of Norway'. Most notable evidence are: (1) suburbanisation of employment due to the rapid development of the petroleum-based businesses, manufacturing companies and service enterprises in the region and its satellite region; (2) increased labour force participation, in particular by skilled workers and women; (3) growing proportion of immigration from inter-region of Norway as well as international, responding its dynamic labour market; (4) general increases in income; (5) changing population structure caused by significant percentage of young professional individuals; (6) and also great proportion of auto ownership and auto dependency. For example, the local authority has developed the industrial parks, known as the Forus area which is situated in the south-west of the Stavanger city centre. Currently, there are more than 1200 businesses located in this area and this provides opportunities for more than 24000 professionals, indicating that its employment density is extremely high. This, however, means that auto dependency of the Forus area-based commuters has reached by nearly 82 % of total mode choices used. The effects of industrialisation in suburbs on travel behavior are complex and not clear yet. One argues that suburbanisation of employment is inevitable in recent era in order to provide better accessibility of jobs and to reduce attractiveness of city centre in the same time. Therefore, how local authority connects their residents and workplaces and to break dependency on auto is the issue since commuters tend to use auto. This case is more obvious in particular if the quality of installed transport infrastructure is relatively poor. Whiles, others recommend jobs-housing balance supported by mixed-zone policy to control negative impacts of workplace sprawl. Allowing urbanisation of employment alone without considering travel distance balance leads to a less sustainable travel patterns because the higher the commuting distance the much more likely individuals tend to be depending on auto. This study is an attempt to determine the effects of suburbanisation of employment on commuting travel patterns. The questions raised are: Does suburbanisation of employment lead to an increase of commuting travel time (and distance), auto use, energy consumption, and the spatial extension of their action space? If so, who still have more sustainable commuting travel patterns? Who don't? Also, how sustainable is their commuting travel patterns compared to other groups of commuter in the region? Which factors tend influence auto dependency? The focus of this study is on commuters. Results of travel behaviour survey in the Stavanger area, conducted in summer 2008, are examined in this study to evaluate the effects of suburbanisation of employment on travel. The study depicts the commuters in the Forus area as the sample size and compares its behavioural patterns with the city centre-based commuters of the Stavanger region and the other commuters who reside in between the city centre and the Forus area. A set of multivariate analyses and other statistical tools are utilised to examine at the individual level, with auto ownership, public transport use, travel distance and travel time performed as its dependent variables. Using the results it is shown who tends to commute longer and who don't. Also factors that influence auto dependency are captured and the characteristics of the sustainable commuters are identified. Evaluating this policy location is necessary as a study reported that it may be pragmatically and politically more acceptable to change policies in primarily employment areas, because the users of those areas may have fewer complaints about more intense development than residential users typically do. In addition, the resultant model system is applied in a scenario analysis to forecast possible changes in future auto travel that will follow hypothetical spatial changes in the Stavanger region. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1648&r=tre |
| By: | Tamas Dusek |
| Abstract: | The aim of this study is to discuss the differences between geographical, road, time and cost distances by the help of the Hungarian railway network and road network data. The first section deals with the general characteristics of distances and spaces and the validity of metrical axioms in time and cost space. Time and cost space are more complex than geographical space, because there is just one and only air kilometers and the kilometer distance between points of network can be determined more or less exactly. Time distances and cost distances fall into an interval and at best only about shortest or typical distances, shortest or typical lengths of time and least or typical costs can be spoken. The second and third sections compare local and global the geographical space and various road, time and cost spaces, first by the help of detour indices and then with multidimensional scaling. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1025&r=tre |
| By: | Vadim Grinevich; Ying Jin; Vassilis Zachariadis |
| Abstract: | The paper presents a new extension to the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) in the assessment of land use, transport and utility infrastructure development options from the perspective of a UK region. A geographically detailed model is required to analyse spatially heterogeneous impacts of land use, transport and utility infrastructure developments. On the other hand, a robust assessment must be built upon a systematic representation of the links among production, consumption, investment and trade such as in a SAM. A spatialised SAM has thus been developed. The paper discusses the methodological and empirical approach, focusing on model calibration at the Base Year, empirical testing of the projection procedure, and the new insights this model offers into the effects of policy and technology options on the demand for land, travel, water, energy , emissions and waste disposal. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p948&r=tre |
| By: | Malina, Robert; Albers, Sascha; Kroll, Nathalie |
| Abstract: | In this paper we investigate current pricing practices at the 200 biggest airports in the European Union. Our analysis shows that airport incentive programs are, in general, a common tool of airport pricing as they are used at one third of all airports. We also find evidence on the presence of bilateral agreements between airport operators or regional authorities on one side and airlines on the other side which serve as a substitute for published incentive programs. Geographically, usage of the different tools varies substantially between different EU countries. A detailed assessment of the incentive schemes offered at German airports within our broader European sample reveals that the average level of landing and take-off, parking and positioning and passenger charges is generally reduced by more than 10%, at smaller airports even by up to 44%. Given the usually low profit margin of airlines and that airport charges account for up to 10% of total operating costs, these incentives can have an important influence on the economic viability of a route. Moreover, in an airline's multi-criteria-based assessment of potential market entries or route expansions, such incentive schemes might compensate selected weaknesses of an airport's strategic posture. -- |
| Keywords: | Air Transport,Airports,Pricing,Management,Regulation |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ucdbpl:107&r=tre |
| By: | Knut Sandberg Eriksen |
| Abstract: | Road improvements lead to benefits in the form of e.g. reduced travelling time, improved traffic safety and reduced emissions. These improvements do not only benefit the actual road users, but they are also “spreading” into the local community or neighbouring communities through several types of effects e.g. enlarged labour markets. There may be “wider” benefits, meaning that the total net benefits of the project are greater than the sum of net benefits of the road users. Actually the question is not whether these “wider” benefits exist, but whether they are of any practical importance or if they might as well be ignored in ordinary economic evaluation. During several decades economists have tried to investigate the hypothesis with varying results depending on model as well as on data. The present paper follows up our two earlier studies, where we have tried to establish whether road investments contribute to economic growth, which our earlier studies give little support for. Previously we have analysed data for industry sector or for geographical regions. This time we have sufficient data for analysing industry sector within each region. Our approaches are inspired by an article by John G. Fernald presented in 1999. Four models are analysed, based on data from Statistics Norway, for the period 1997-2005. The models have the same design, only the size of time-lags varies. The analyses show that out of four models only one produces significant results. In this model productivity growth is lagged two years behind road investments to allow for the improvements to be completed. What we find is that significance is high, but the size of the productivity coefficients is rather small, just around 1 2 percents, depending upon the cost shares. Models with other time-lags produce insignificant and diverging results. The time variable is highly significant with a positive sign, thus indicating that road investments are becoming more productivity enhancing over time. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1613&r=tre |
| By: | Gesa Matthes |
| Abstract: | Scientific studies have revealed incipient reurbanization in terms of Berg’s theory of urban spatial change (cf. BMVBS/BBR: 20; BERG et al.). These spatially different demographic developments impact directly on spatial planning, particularly on social and ecological issues such as gentrification, land use or transport. It is therefore important to consider to what extent reurbanization exists, how it will develop in the future and how it can be assessed from the perspective of sustainable development. Given the lack of empirical evidence regarding reurbanization, its causes and interdependencies and taken into account that the development of local populations becomes increasingly dependent on migration as the German population shrinks, the Institute for Transport Planning and Logistics, Hamburg University of Technology carried out an interdisciplinary case study focusing on the development of intra-regional migration within the city region of Hamburg and its impact on transport development as one of the crucial consequences of intra-regional migration in the past. Primary data were collected concerning the reasons for migration into the city and changes in mobility behaviour. This paper presents the most important aspects of the empirical results on inter-related causes and effects and methodological cognition. Firstly, it discusses experience of the “mixed methods” approach, developed to survey changes in mobility behavior and based on the qualitative method of MAYRING. Secondly, it presents the results of the quantitative analysis of intra-regional migration based on a detailed system of spatial categories. With regard to middle-order-centers of the city region and urban quarters in Hamburg, it reveals considerable change over a ten year period. Thirdly, it highlights the reasons for change of residence from surrounding areas into urban quarters. Due to the preliminary character of the survey, this question only applies to one selected group of these migrants (families). Lastly, it will present selected results from the survey on changes in mobility behaviour in the chosen group, particularly those which have immediate consequences for sustainable planning. BMVBS/BBR: Online Publikation 21/2007 BERG et al.: A Study of Growth and Decline. 1982 MAYRING: Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Grundlagen und Techniken. 2003 |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p842&r=tre |
| By: | Alejandra Trejo |
| Abstract: | As a result of the advancement of globalisation and the increasing emphasis on competitiveness as a means to get a position in a globalised economy, the territory has regained a key role as a unit for analysis and action. In the context of the globalization local and regional territories compete to attract and retain productive investment and resources and increase its share in total production because it is at the territorial level that the benefits of external integration and the continuous improvement of well-being and abundance are expressed. Transport and trade costs are one dimension of competitiveness. Poor transport infrastructure, long transportation times, inefficiencies, etc. create significant costs which affect the ability of producers to access regional and international markets more quickly and effectively. An analysis of the role played by transport infrastructure and related costs in the development of competitiveness and productivity of regions is fundamental. Although transportation can become a determining factor in how the territory functions development also depends on other crucial factors such as the quality of institutions, economic policies and often openness to trade. This paper will assess the influence of a number of economic forces related to transport costs and trade liberalization on the geographic distribution of manufacturing in Mexico which is a country that carried out and intense process of liberalizations from the 1980’s. We will employ GDP data at the state level (1970-2004) in an examination of regional densities in manufacturing as a dependent variable in a reduced form model, where proxies for trade costs and liberalisation are the explanatory variables. The econometric test will provide evidence on the role of interregional differences of transport costs, import access and FDI to foster agglomeration of economic activity which is a reflection of a region’s competitiveness. Additionally we look for support for the argument that trade brings increasing agglomeration of economic activity in countries with poor infrastructure and high internal transport costs, as in the case of Mexico compared to industrialised economies. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p178&r=tre |
| By: | Arnstein Gjestland; David McArthur; Liv Osland; Inge Thorsen |
| Abstract: | It has been argued that gravity models are the most popular mathematical description of human interaction (Sheppard, 1984). In relation to housing prices, gravity based accessibility measures have been suggested as a generalization of modern polycentric labour market structures (Heikkila et al. 1989). Empirical applications of gravity based accessibility measures are, however, fairly resource-demanding. As a determinant of housing prices, one aim of this paper is therefore to compare the performance of one such gravity based measure with simpler measures of mobility. In contrast with the gravity based measures which account for the potential of interaction, the measures introduced in this paper are based on actual commuting patterns. The paper shows that the relationship between housing prices and patterns of commuting is fairly complex and we use a range of different methods to obtain robust conclusions. Finally we try to analyse the effect of long term changes in population on house prices and to study the effect on house prices of a large transport infrastructure investment. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p906&r=tre |
| By: | Bjorn Harsman; John Quigley |
| Abstract: | Studies of the “stated preferences” of households generally report public and political opposition by urban commuters to congestion pricing. It is thought that this opposition inhibits or precludes tolls and pricing systems that would enhance efficiency in the use of scarce roadways. This paper analyzes the only case in which road pricing was decided by a citizen referendum on the basis of experience with a specific pricing system. The city of Stockholm introduced a toll system for seven months in 2006, after which citizens voted on its permanent adoption. We match precinct voting records to citizen commute times and costs by traffic zone, and we analyze patterns of voting in response to economic and political incentives. We document political and ideological incentives for citizen choice, but we also find that the pattern of time savings and incremental costs exerts a powerful influence on voting behavior. In this instance, at least, citizen voters behave as if they value commute time highly. When they have experienced first-hand the out-of-pocket costs and time-savings of a specific pricing scheme, they are prepared to adopt freely policies which reduce congestion on urban motorways. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1477&r=tre |
| By: | Soushi Suzuki; Peter Nijkamp |
| Abstract: | With tightening budgets and increasingly critical reviews of public expenditure, there is a need for a careful analysis of the performance of public bodies in terms of an efficient execution of their tasks. These questions show up everywhere in the public domain, for instance, in the provision of medical facilities, the operation of postal services, or the supply of public transport. A standard tool to judge the efficiency of such agencies is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). In the past years, much progress has been made to extend this approach in various directions. Examples are the Distance Friction Minimization (DFM) model and the Context-Dependent (CD) model. The DFM model is based on a generalized distance friction function and serves to improve the performance of a Decision Making Unit (DMU) by identifying the most appropriate movement towards the efficiency frontier surface. Standard DEA models use a uniform proportional input reduction (or a uniform proportional output increase) in the improvement projections, but the DFM approach aims to enhance efficiency strategies by deploying a weighted projection function. This approach may address both input reduction and output increase as a strategy of a DMU. A suitable form of multidimensional projection functions is given by a Multiple Objective Quadratic Programming (MOQP) model using a Euclidean distance. Likewise, the CD model yields efficient frontiers in different levels, while it is based on a level-by-level improvement projection. The present paper will first offer a new integrated DEA tool -merging from a blend of the DFM and CD model using the Charnes-Cooper-Rhodes (CCR) method – in order to design a stepwise efficiency-improving projection model for a conventional DEA. The above-mentioned stepwise-projection model is illustrated on the basis of an application to the efficiency analysis of public transport operations in Japan. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p523&r=tre |
| By: | Laurent Van Malderen; Bart Jourquin; Isabelle Thomas; Thomas Vanoutrive; Ann Verhetsel; Frank Witlox |
| Abstract: | EMPLOYER MOBILITY PLANS: ACCEPTABILITY, EFFICIENCY AND COSTS The concentrated and repeated nature of commuting traffic offers action potentials to control or reduce the number of single-occupant vehicles commuting during the peak hours. As source of the home-to-work journeys, the companies have a ringside seat to promote sustainable mobility and the last years paid an always growing attention to that mobility issue. Though, the research literature have brought only few attention to the employer mobility plans (EMPs) implemented by the companies. The question about the effectiveness of the measure taken by the companies remains so open, as well as questions about their costs and benefits to the company. What is the impact of EMPs? Do they change the commuting behaviour of the workers? What are their costs and benefits for a company? Hence, the main objective of this paper is twofold: first evaluating the effectiveness of policy measures making up EMPs, and secondly assessing their costs and benefits at the company level. To achieve this aim 60 employees transport coordinators (ETCs) will be interviewed. Even if the literature is almost silent about this topic, the paper starts with a state of the art of the literature. This will help top define the different concepts and to classify the policy measures companies can take. The latter are called either push or pull measures. The Belgian home to work travels survey conducted every 3 years by the FPS Mobility and Transport will then be presented. This survey is focused on the companies located in Belgium and employing at least 100 workers. The database contains 8820 workplaces. Each record describes the commuting behaviour of the employees as well as the mobility policy that is implemented by the firm. The database will be used to identify clusters of companies, based on the success of the implemented EMP. Considering this criteria, it comes out that only few EMPs can be considered as successful. ETCs of the latter will then be interviewed to lead to an in-depth understanding of the causes and effects of EMPs. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p291&r=tre |
| By: | Hiroyuki Shibusawa; Takafumi Sugawara |
| Abstract: | In this paper, the economic impacts of technological innovation, such as electric and hybrid vehicles, in the automobile industry in Japan are examined. The automobile industry has to develop environmentally friendly vehicles in the face of the global warming issue and the exhaustion problem of petroleum. The conventional automobiles with gasoline and diesel oil don’t meet the demands of present age. The new generation automobiles will become popular for coming several decades. The industrial structure will be affected by the appearance of new generation automobile. Especially, since the Japanese economy strongly depends on the automobile industry, the appearance of technological innovation in the automobile industry has an influence on the other industries and the industrial regions where the automobile firms are concentrated. In this study, we explore the economic impacts of shifting the production system in the automobile industry from the conventional automobile technology to an electric and hybrid vehicle technology using the national and multiregional input-output models. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p519&r=tre |
| By: | Evgeniya Kolomak |
| Abstract: | Aims of the study are to estimate 1) contribution of infrastructure capital in productivity growth in Russia, and 2) level and spatial extension of the spillovers for different categories of infrastructure. We measure stock of the traditional infrastructure sectors: railways, highways, communication. We use data for 79 Russian regions, covered period is 1992 - 2007. The basic idea of econometric estimates is to expand a production function including infrastructure capital stock. We examine several different categories of public capital. The log-linear Cobb-Douglas form of the production function gives empirical model. We assume existence of spatial spillovers of the infrastructure elements and dependence of regional productivity on public capital of neighboring regions introducing into the model spatial weights matrix and a spatial lag component. There are several problems of econometric estimates relating to the model. The first one is correct specification of the spatial dependence, what includes construction of the spatial weights matrix. The proposed strategy is to run series of regressions using different spatial weighs matrixes. The second one is common trends of output and public capital. One of the proposed ways to resolve the problem is to use some forms of differences. The third problem involves missing variables; panel data and taking of the differences to some extent lessen this problem. Another problem is causality: does absence of progress in infrastructure capital reduce economic growth or does low growth of output decrease the demand for infrastructure? The endogeneity poses question of instrumental variables, the choice of a spatial lag of the predicted values of the dependent variable or of spatially lagged exogenous variables is considered. Infrastructure capital is a public good however its effects can be distributed uneven among different sectors of economic activity. To take this fact into account the proposed set of growth model estimations are done for two alternative production functions focusing on gross regional product and on manufacturing sector only. The results are as follows: - estimates of contribution of infrastructure capital in productivity growth in Russia; - evidence of infrastructure externalities; - estimates of infrastructure spatial spillovers for different categories. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p471&r=tre |
| By: | Kazuo Nishii; Katsunao Kondo; Kuniaki Sasaki |
| Abstract: | One of the most important issues in a current situation in tourism in Japan is to identify how attractive cities or towns we can provide visiting tourists as a tourism product satisfying needs and wants. It is therefore necessary to grasp what kind of needs and wants potential tourists can obtain from their experience of visiting cities. For this purpose, an area marketing and management approach (AMMA) is expected to be effective one. In this paper a basic framework of our AMMA will be introduced. In addition, a practical procedure for quantitatively measuring the effect of accessibility improvement on tourist travel demand and activity patterns will be proposed. This paper discusses a practical method for measuring accessibility improvement effect focusing on the increase of the number of visitors to the tourism areas where the level of service in accessing transport facilities is planning to be improved. Two case studies in Japan will be presented in this paper. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p518&r=tre |
| By: | Sandrine Noblet; Antoine Belgodere |
| Abstract: | The distance puzzle has been wildly discussed in the literature since Leamer and Levinsohn (1995) shed the light on it. This puzzle simply says that “the world is not getting smaller”: distance still matters to account for trade. This is reflected in a decreasing distance of trade (DOT), or in a stable or increasing (negative) elasticity of trade with respect to distance (Disdier and head, 2008). Several explanations of this puzzle have been emphasized in the empirical International Economics literature. Duranton and Storper (2008) contribute to this issue in offering a full theoretical framework to account for this puzzle. They explain that an improvement in transport technology can increase the transport costs, because it creates an incentive to trade higher quality goods. Our paper proposes a new theoretical explanation of this puzzle. This explanation shares with Duranton and Storper's two important characteristics: i) there is a non monotonic relationship between transport cost and trade cost. ii) this phenomenon is due to contract incompleteness. However, the mechanism that we underline is quite different: in our model, based on a Dixit-Stiglitz increasing return to scale technology, a fall in transport cost increases the international division of labour. It follows that input-output linkages require a higher level of coordination. Such a coordination is easier between neighbors than between very distant countries. As a result, trade increases with all partners, but more quickly for neighbors than for distant countries. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p756&r=tre |
| By: | Arno Van Der Vlist; Sander Hardeman |
| Abstract: | Public procurement of infrastructure has been subject to a long standing debate concerning the procurements' qualification requirements. Basically, it remains unclear what determines public procurement officers to vary procurements' qualification requirements. This research serves to elaborate on public procurements' procedure design. The aim of this paper is to improve our understanding of why contracting authorities choose specific requirements prior to public procurement. What determines variation in public procurements' qualification requirements? For this the procurements' procedure design is modelled as a rational choice among a set of alternatives within a random utility framework. Qualification requirements are chosen as to maximize utility of the procurements' officer. In the empirical part of the paper the procurements' procedure design is modelled as a limited dependent variable model. The data comes from the EIB Monitor Procurements covering public procurements in the Netherlands, and relates to public open procurements of civil work posted by municipalities in the first half of 2009. The model results indicate that requirements do relate to degree of professionalism of the procurement office and to the type of work. These results indicate a rational choice among qualification requirements yet explain about 15 percent of total variation, suggesting other factors at work. Keywords: Construction industry, infrastructure, Bidding, Public Procurement Auctions, municipalities |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1060&r=tre |
| By: | Giovanni Russo; Peter Nijkamp; Aura Reggiani; Federico Tedeschi |
| Abstract: | This paper offers an exploratory investigation of the effects of inbound commuter flows on employment in regional labour markets in Germany. For this purpose, we distinguish three channels that could transmit the effects concerned: a crowding-out mechanism, and two labour demand effects (the first is an aggregate demand effect, while the second is a positive externality on vacancy creation). To this end, we develop a stepwise commuting impact model. Our results bring to light that, on the whole, commuter flows have a positive and robust effect on both employment and the number of jobs in the receiving labour market districts, but a distinctly negative effect on the share of jobs filled by resident workers. We then interpret the implications of our results, and, finally, we suggest ways in which the analysis could be improved and expanded. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1376&r=tre |
| By: | Christian Schmidt |
| Abstract: | In recent decades, many countries have experienced suburbanization processes in metropolitan areas that have lead to an increase in urban sprawl by creating a growing polarity between newly formed satellite communities and the central urban area. More than before, work and residence location diverged. In this context, commuting and migration are two fundamental ways of connecting an individual's place of work with his residence. These distinctive mobility modes represent temporary and permanent mobility, respectively. Deciding for any of the two incurs peculiar costs. Commuting requires recurring costs that the individual has to bear without permanently changing his residence. In contrast, migration relocates the place of residence and can therefore prevent periodical mobility costs. Due to this fact, migration can serve as an alternative to commuting in respect to connecting the place of residence with the work place. This paper represents work in progress on the individual decision between commuting and migrating to the place of work in face of uncertain commuting costs. Solutions for two initial states are derived on the basis of the real options theory. The threshold commuting cost levels at which it is optimal for the individual to relocate to the suburb when initially living in the metropolitan center and to relocate to the city center when initially living in the suburb are presented and compared to the classical net present value solution without uncertainty about commuting costs. The effect of uncertainty about the evolution of commuting costs on the optimal decision denotes a remarkable result of this model: higher uncertainty lowers the commuting cost threshold for outmigration to the suburb, while increasing it for inmigration to the city center. On the one hand, individuals initially not commuting but living in the city center deter a possible outmigration even under increasingly unfavorable rental cost conditions. On the other hand, individuals initially living in the suburb are willing to bear significantly higher commuting costs before eventually relocating to the metropolitan center. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p1481&r=tre |
| By: | Erika Sandow |
| Abstract: | A growing number of people in Europe are long-distance commuters. For some people and households long-distance commuting may be a temporary lifestyle, offering financial and career benefits, whereas for others commuting lifestyle becomes permanent. Commuting can mean increased salary, a better job, the only possibility to keep a job for the individual, but also increased stress, long travel times, and in some cases household break-up. However, despite the growing number of long-distance commuters, the long-term social implications of long-distance commuting on households are not well understood. This paper focuses on social implications of long-distance commuting on commuters and their households in Sweden. Discrete-time regression models were employed to register data on Swedish couples in 2000 to explore the risk of separation following long-distance commuting during 1995 to 2005. The results show that among couples where one or both spouses long-distance commute separation rates are higher compared to non-commuting couples. For men the odds of separating are highest if commuting is on a temporary basis, whereas women decrease the odds when continuing commuting for a longer time-period. Keywords: long-distance commuting, household breakup, longitudinal study |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p732&r=tre |
| By: | Chia-Lin Chen; Peter Hall |
| Abstract: | This paper will present empirical evidence on the wider spatial-economic impacts of High Speed Trains (HSTs) at the intra-regional level. It represents follow-up research to a previous empirical study at inter-regional level, based on UKIC125- an upgraded HST system. The findings suggest that HST has had substantial and demonstrable effects in aiding this transition within a 2-hour travel limit of London, but that the effects have not been automatic or universal. The need for integrated planning combining transport, economic, and spatial issues to promote dynamic city-region development should not be overlooked. Particularly, the UK is currently situated at the critical turning point considering a long-term commitment to High Speed Two (HS2): whether, to what extent, and how the arrival of a HST hub in a city could act as the agent of change for transforming surrounding sub-regions. Thus, a finer-grained and deeper-probing analysis at the intra-regional scale is needed, in the form of comparative case studies of two post-industrial city-regions. Lille/Pas-de-Calais and the Manchester city-region are chosen, the first to examine the effects of the TGV after its arrival in 1994, the second to provide a prognosis for Manchester and its neighbouring towns after the projected arrival of HS2. In the Lille Métropole, the TGV brought about a dramatic change in economic fortunes. But, within the wider Nord-Pas de Calais region, two divergent developmental trajectories of traditional manufacturing industries have increasingly manifested themselves: Lille Métropole has increasingly strengthened its service-based growth, whereas the former coal area and coastal region seems not to have attracted knowledge-based development. In the Manchester city-region, the new generation of 300 k/hr HST lines will undoubtedly in their turn have major spatial-economic impacts as Manchester is brought closer to London with the dramatic shrinking of critical time-distance. The relationship between Manchester and its neighbouring towns may however be negative to poorly connected towns like Burnley which is reflected in its weak economic performance. Overall, this research aims to fill in the gap with empirical evidence of intra-regional impacts of HSTs and disentangle the complex forces and the developmental phases in the dynamic process of city-region regeneration. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p335&r=tre |
| By: | Athena Belegri-Roboli; Aggeliki Demertzi; Maria Markaki; Panayotis Michaelides |
| Abstract: | This paper calculates the environmental effects of the Attiki Odos (AOD) motorway investment expenditures in the Athens Metropolitan Area (AMA), Greece. The AOD is incorporated in the Trans-European Networks (TEN) and is a priority project aimed at developing the AMA. Input – output analysis is applied to assess the environmental impacts of the investments expenditures. More precisely, we apply the environmental input-output life cycle assessment (EIOLCA) method to estimate ex-post the environmental burden associated with the investment vector of AOD. In this context, we calculate each type of emission caused by the AOD investments expenditures (direct, indirect and induced), by sector of economic activity during the construction phase (1999-2004). The investment vector is assembled from figures calculated based on corporate data. Next, in order to estimate the impact of technological change on our estimates, we use ceteris paribus the 2005 input – output table, which expresses, in a nutshell, the production technology of 2005. The domestic input-output tables for 2000 and 2005 come from EUROSTAT. In this framework, the main finding of the paper is that technological change between 2000 and 2005, as expressed through each year’s technical coefficients matrix, provided significant results with respect to total output and emissions. Roughly speaking, total output increased approximately by 7% and emissions decreased approximately by 19%. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p481&r=tre |
| By: | Marie Delaplace |
| Abstract: | There are a lot of High-Speed Rail projects in a lot of countries (Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Portugal, USA, etc.). In 2009, 13469 km of High-Speed Lines are under construction and 17579 km are planned all around the world by 2025 (Barroni I, 2009). In the past and in some territories, some local economic dynamics linked to this kind of infrastructure have emerged. The aim of this communication is to present the conditions in which a HSR contributes to a local economic development. By using service innovation theories (Gallouj, 2003, Gallouj et Weinstein 1997), we propose a theoretical analysis of the arrival of a High-Speed Rail Service in a territory as a set of innovations (ameliorative innovation, incremental innovation, relational innovation). But these innovations must be appropriated. This appropriation that modifies the actions of actors can be individual: an actor will integrate it in its strategy by individually offering innovations of product/service. But it can be collective. From this collective appropriation can emerge complementary innovations of products/services based on relational innovations in the territory. They can give birth to the definition of a project of territory which will lead the actors to innovate in the relationships with the other actors of the territory and to create a new organization with a specific goal. In such a case, the private and public actors, beyond their individual interest, are coordinating their actions in order to promote a development of the territory which is linked to their own development by producing coherent and collective policies likely to valorize resources (economic, cultural, human and land) of the territory . Using Schumpeterian analysis (Schumpeter, 1939), we argue that the emergence of several relational innovations between private and public actors associated with innovations of products/services, that we consider as a cluster of services innovations are the central elements in the link between HSRS and local economic development. Thus if the HSRS opens up potentialities, their fulfillment depends on the way playing agents, likely to profit from it, i.e. how they will integrate the various innovations in their behaviors, and eventually produce new ones. |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p169&r=tre |
| By: | Halkos, George; Tzeremes, Nickolaos |
| Abstract: | This paper uses three different Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) decompositions to measure Greek seaports’ productivity for the time period 2006-2010. In addition bootstrap techniques are applied in order for confidence intervals of the MPIs and their components to be constructed and therefore to verify if the indicated changes are significant in a statistical sense. Finally, a second stage nonparametric analysis has been applied identifying the effect of seaports’ size on their productivity levels. The results reveal that the number of terminals is a crucial determinant of seaports’ productivity levels. In addition it appears that the high length of Greek seaports has a negative influence on their productivity levels over the years. |
| Keywords: | Malmquist productivity index; bootstrap approach; Nonparametric analysis; Greek seaports |
| JEL: | L91 D24 C60 |
| Date: | 2012–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:40174&r=tre |