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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Olaf Merk; Claude Comtois |
| Abstract: | This working paper offers an evaluation of the performance of the port of Marseille-Fos, an analysis of the impact of the port on its territory and an assessment of policies and governance in this field. It examines declining port performance over the last decades and identifies the principal factors that have contributed to it. The effect of the ports on economic and environmental questions is studied and quantified where possible. The value added of the port cluster of Marseille-Fos is calculated and its interlinkages with other economic sectors and other regions in France delineated. The paper outlines the impact of the ports? operations, and shows how their activities spill over into other regions than the one in which the port of Marseille-Fos is located. The major policies governing the ports are assessed, along with policies governing transport and economic development, the environment and spatial planning. These include measures instituted by the port authorities, as well as by local, regional and national governments. Governance mechanisms at these different levels are described and analysed. Based on the report?s findings, recommendations are proposed with a view to improving port performance and increasing the positive effects of the port of Marseille-Fos on its territory. |
| Keywords: | transportation, ports, regional development, regional growth, urban growth, inter-regional trade, input-output |
| JEL: | D57 L91 R11 R12 R15 R41 |
| Date: | 2012–12–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:govaab:2012/11-en&r=tre |
| By: | Olaf Merk; Stéphane Saussier; Carine Staropoli; Enid Slack; Jay-Hyung Kim |
| Abstract: | This paper presents an overview of practices and challenges related to financing green sustainable cities. Cities are essential actors in stimulating green infrastructure; and urban finance is one of the promising ways in which this can be achieved. Cities are key investors in infrastructure with green potential, such as buildings, transport, water and waste. Their main revenue sources, such as property taxes, transport fees and other charges, are based on these same sectors; cities thus have great potential to ?green? their financial instruments. At the same time, increased public constraints call for a mobilisation of new sources of finance and partnerships with the private sector. This working paper analyses several of these sources: public-private partnerships, tax-increment financing, development charges, value-capture taxes, loans, bonds and carbon finance. The challenge in mobilising these instruments is to design them in a green way, while building capacity to engage in real co-operative and flexible arrangements with the private sector. |
| Keywords: | public private partnerships, private finance, green growth, infrastructure finance, urban infrastructure, urban development, urban finance |
| Date: | 2012–09–24 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:govaab:2012/10-en&r=tre |
| By: | Christopher R. Knittel |
| Abstract: | From 1864 to 1972, the real price of oil fell by, on average, over one percent per year. This trend dramatically broke when prices for crude increased by over 650 percent from 1972 to 1980. Policy makers adopted several policies designed to keep oil prices in check and reduce consumption. Missing from these policies were taxes on either oil or gasoline, prompting a long economics literature documenting the inefficiencies of these alternative policies. In this paper, I review the policy discussion related to the transportation sector that occurred during the time through the lens of the printed press. In doing so, I pay particular attention to whether gasoline taxes were "on the table," as well as how consumers viewed the inefficient set of policies that were ultimately adopted. The discussions at the time suggest that meaningful changes in gasoline taxes were on the table; the public discussion seemed to be much greater than it is today. Some in Congress and many presidential advisors in the Nixon, Ford, and, Carter administrations supported and proposed gasoline taxes. The main roadblocks for taxes were Congress and the American people. Polling evidence at the time suggests that consumers preferred price controls and rationing and vehicle taxes over higher gasoline taxes or letting gasoline prices clear the market. Given the saliency of rationing and vehicle taxes, it seems difficult to argue that these alternative polices were adopted because they hide their true costs. |
| JEL: | H23 K32 L50 L62 L91 Q38 Q41 |
| Date: | 2013–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:18685&r=tre |
| By: | Andrea Beltramello |
| Abstract: | This report presents and analyses policies, programmes and approaches for the development, market introduction and diffusion of green cars. It reviews government policies in a number of OECD countries as well as a selection of non-OECD economies. The report attempts to provide: i) a better understanding of the growing market for green vehicles; ii) new analytical instruments to identify policies and approaches that could be designed and put in place, notably with the aim of fostering the uptake of green cars; and iii) to the extent possible, insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of existing policies, as well as guidance on how to assess the impact of future measures. |
| Date: | 2012–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:envddd:2012/3-en&r=tre |
| By: | X. DHAULTFOEUILLE (Insee); P. FEVRIER (Insee); L. WILNER (Insee) |
| Abstract: | Yield management has become a standard tool in several industries to increase the profits of firms facing demand uncertainty or consumers heterogeneity. But this technique also raises econometric problems in the estimation of demand models. Quantity-based management, in particular, is the source of both an endogeneity and a right-censoring problem. Disposing of macro data only and ignoring these issues leads to an aggregation bias. We develop a structural model of demand in the presence of quantity-based management. We show that the price elasticity is identified in this model provided that (i) we observe two subpopulations that face different prices but are not separated in the yield management policy, (ii) the highest prices and quantities sold at these prices are observed, (iii) the highest prices vary with time or across markets. We apply our method to the French railroad industry, using disaggregated data on trips between Paris and big cities on the period 2007-2009. Our estimates of the price-elasticity are consistent with a rather responsive demand, from 1.7 to 2 in economy class and from 1.3 to 1.5 in business class. |
| Keywords: | revenue management, demand estimation, price-elasticity, railways transportation |
| JEL: | C25 D12 R40 |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crs:wpdeee:g2012-13&r=tre |
| By: | Green, R; Staffell, I |
| Date: | 2012–07–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imp:wpaper:10044/2/9844&r=tre |
| By: | Daniel Benitez; Antonio Estache; Tina Søreide |
| Abstract: | Interventions to fix market failures in infrastructure have often resulted in some form of governance failure and this contributes importantly to explain shortcomings in the supply of infrastructure services in developing countries and increasingly in developed countries in crisis. The development community continues to address sector dysfunctions from the sector level, often with a ‘one solution fits all’ approach, instead of approaching the political level, which is considered more challenging. This paper presents a systematic structured review of experiences with policy work in light of political economy explanations. Governance failures have different explanations – including populism, patronage, corruption or ownership shares in the private sector. This paper offers a structured framework for identifying the given governance challenge and discusses the need for more tailor-made approaches to sector-reform. |
| Keywords: | Political economy, Infrastructure, Regulation, Reform |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:chm:wpaper:wp2012-5&r=tre |
| By: | Gorecki, Paul K. |
| Abstract: | The small public service vehicle (SPSV) market in Ireland appears to have adjusted well to the changed economic circumstances. The reduction in demand for SPSV services occasioned by the recession has been met by a price and quantity adjustment. Prices are regularly discounted off the regulated maximum fare, while the number of SPSV operators has dropped by about 6 per cent per year since 2010. Estimates of oversupply of 13 to 22 per cent, albeit arguably biased upwards, are likely to be eliminated by the end of 2013/early 2014 at the earliest, and 2015/16 at the latest. Strategies have been put in place to deal with non-compliance with social welfare and tax rules. Hence for the Taxi Regulation Review Group in its December 2011 Report to base recommendations for extensive policy intervention on the view: (i) that there is considerable oversupply of SPSV services; (ii) that this is influenced in an important way by non-compliant operators; and, (iii) there is low exit from the industry is incorrect. Indeed, these recommendations which are being implemented, while no doubt containing sensible suggestions with regard to wheelchair accessible services and rural hackney services, at the same time will have the effect of reducing the flexibility of the SPSV market based on a model that seeks to favour the role of full time taxi operator. When combined with the 2010 prohibition on the issuing of new taxi and hackney licences, there is a real danger that when the economy revives and demand for SPSV services increases that there will be increased waiting times as they were in the 1990s when taxi numbers were restricted. There is an urgent need to reconsider these policy initiatives. |
| Keywords: | Ireland/Services/recession/taxes/regulation/Policy |
| Date: | 2012–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:esr:wpaper:wp441&r=tre |