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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Stephen Perkins |
| Abstract: | This report is based on discussions at an International Transport Forum Roundtable convened in September 2012 to review experience with the regulation of public private partnerships (PPPs) in the transport sector. Conclusions from the debate are developed with reference to the literature, particularly in relation to managing the risks associated with forecasting traffic. The report focuses on actuarial, structural and behavioural approaches to improving the regulation of PPPs and containing liabilities created by PPPs for public finance. It also examines the potential for private financing of infrastructure by treating packages of transport projects as regulated utilities. The report aims to clarify the objectives of PPPs, their impact on public finance and the different types of risk that need to be managed. |
| Date: | 2013–04–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaab:2013/6-en&r=tre |
| By: | Asian Development Bank (ADB); (Central and West Asia Department, ADB); ; |
| Abstract: | The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is preparing sector assessments and road maps to help align future ADB support with the needs and strategies of eveloping member countries and other development partners. The transport sector assessment of Georgia is a working document that helps inform the development of untry partnership strategy. It highlights the development issues, needs and strategic assistance priorities of the transport sector in Georgia. The knowledge product serves as a basis for further dialogue on how ADB and the government can work together to tackle the challenges of managing transport sector development in Georgia in the coming years. |
| Keywords: | Asian Development Bank; ADB; transport; roads; railways; Georgia; Georgia Transport Sector Assessment; Strategy; Road Map; Sustainable transport; Caucasus; Regional; MRDI; Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure; MESD; CAREC; Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation; East-West Highway; Tbilisi; Batumi; Poti; Transport sector governance |
| Date: | 2014–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:asd:wpaper:rpt136127-3&r=tre |
| By: | Rana Roy |
| Abstract: | This paper builds upon a recent OECD paper on the personal tax treatment of company cars and commuting expenses in OECD member-countries and aims to arrive at a better understanding of the environmental and related social costs of the tax treatment described therein. The paper begins with an analysis of the larger transport market, which is the primary storehouse of evidence on the nature and extent of the environmental impacts of the various transport modes, the relative importance of the proximate and underlying determinants of these impacts, and the elasticities and functional relationships at work. Non-linearities in the relevant elasticities and functional relationships mean that the tax treatment of company cars may have a greater or lesser impact than is suggested by the size of the company car market. And distortions in relative prices between competing modes in the larger transport market mean that subsidies can have very different impacts depending on the mode in question. The further analysis of the interaction of the current tax treatment of company cars and commuting expenses with the transport market yields several findings. The current under-taxation of company cars is likely to result in a disproportionately large increase in total distance driven, composed of both an increase in the number of cars in use and an increase in distance driven per car. In turn, this is likely to result in disproportionately large impacts on most relevant environmental and related social costs. And a favourable tax treatment of commuting expenses generally, and of employer-paid parking in particular, is likely to impact on the choice of transport mode in favour of the car relative to public transport and non-motorised modes. In turn, this is likely to impact on most relevant environmental and related social costs. An Annex to this paper provides, for the OECD group of countries as a whole, some indicative estimates of the main relevant impacts of the under-taxation of company cars as well as an indicative estimate of its overall social cost. The largest quantified cost elements are additional congestion costs; additional local air pollution costs; and additional traffic accident costs. The overall social cost attributable to the current under-taxation of company cars is estimated at circa EUR 116 billion per year. Ce document fait fond sur une récente étude de l’OCDE sur le traitement des voitures de société et des frais de déplacement domicile-travail dans le cadre de l’impôt sur le revenu des personnes physiques dans les pays membres de l’OCDE. Il vise à mieux cerner les coûts environnementaux et les coûts sociaux connexes de ce traitement. Le document s’ouvre sur une analyse du marché des transports en général, qui offre le principal gisement d’informations sur la nature et l’ampleur des incidences environnementales des différents modes de transport, sur l’importance relative des déterminants immédiats et sous-jacents de ces incidences, ainsi que sur les élasticités et les relations fonctionnelles qui entrent en jeu. Si ces élasticités et relations ne sont pas linéaires, l’impact du traitement fiscal des voitures de société peut être plus fort ou plus faible que ne le laisse penser la taille du marché de ces voitures. En outre, en présence de distorsions affectant les prix relatifs des modes concurrents sur le marché des transports en général, les subventions peuvent avoir des répercussions très différentes selon le mode considéré. Une analyse plus poussée de l’interaction du traitement fiscal actuel des voitures de société et des frais de déplacement domicile-travail avec le marché des transports permet de faire plusieurs constatations. La situation actuelle de sous-imposition de ces voitures est de nature à déboucher sur une hausse disproportionnée de la distance totale qu’elles parcourent, sous l’effet aussi bien de la multiplication des voitures de société en circulation que de l’augmentation de la distance parcourue par chacune. Cette évolution risque elle-même de se répercuter de façon disproportionnée sur la plupart des coûts environnementaux et coûts sociaux connexes. Par ailleurs, un traitement fiscal favorable des frais de déplacement domicile-travail en général, et de la mise à disposition d’une place de stationnement gratuite par l’employeur en particulier, est susceptible de faire pencher le choix du mode de transport en faveur de la voiture plutôt que vers les transports publics et les modes non motorisés, avec là encore des répercussions sur la plupart des coûts environnementaux et coûts sociaux connexes. L’annexe du document présente, pour les pays de l’OCDE pris dans leur ensemble, des estimations indicatives des plus importantes incidences de la sous-imposition des voitures de société, ainsi que des estimations indicatives de son coût social global. Les principaux éléments quantifiés sont les coûts du surcroît de congestion, du surcroît de pollution atmosphérique locale et du surcroît d’accidents de la circulation. Le coût social global attribuable à la sous-imposition des voitures de société est estimé à environ 116 milliards EUR par an. |
| Keywords: | tax benefit, tax induced behaviour, environmental effects, vehicles, company cars, voitures de société, avantage fiscal, coûts environnementaux, comportement induit par la fiscalité |
| JEL: | H20 H30 Q51 R41 |
| Date: | 2014–09–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:envaaa:70-en&r=tre |
| By: | Guillaume Burghouwt |
| Abstract: | Many major airports are hubs for network carriers at the same time as serving a large local market. The complementarity between these functions is often seen as a prerequisite for viable hub operations, suggesting that spreading the hub network over multiple airports can be very costly and damages the corner stone of the hub operation: the creation of scope and density economies. |
| Date: | 2013–02–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaab:2013/5-en&r=tre |
| By: | Rahman, Mustafizur (Asian Development Bank Institute); Moazzem, Khondaker Golam (Asian Development Bank Institute); Chowdhury, Mehruna Islam (Asian Development Bank Institute); Sehrin, Farzana (Asian Development Bank Institute) |
| Abstract: | Economic integration is being inhibited by the poor state of transport connectivity between Bangladesh, and South Asia and Southeast Asia. This study reviews connectivity initiatives of Bangladesh and the two neighboring regions and proposes ways to deepen regional and interregional connectivity. Since the early 1990s, as a consequence of trade-led growth strategy, South Asia and Southeast Asia have emerged as important economic partners of Bangladesh both in terms of export destination and import sourcing. However, constraints "at the border" and "behind the border" have tended to undermine the prospects of reaping the benefits accruing from closer economic cooperation. There is now an increasing realization among policymakers in Bangladesh of the importance of transport integration as an effective tool for market integration and also for attracting efficiency-enhancing and market-seeking investment. This changed perspective has been reflected in Bangladesh's long-term development policies. This study identifies cross-border initiatives with Bangladesh's involvement particularly at the bilateral, subregional, and regional levels. Some of these initiatives are also integrated with Asia-wide broader connectivity particularly through the Asian Highway and Trans Asian Railway initiatives. Ongoing initiatives include construction and upgrading of multi-lane highways and railways, road and rail bridges, procurement of locomotives and wagons, and construction of internal container river ports. However, progress has been slow and cross-border transit still remains an unaddressed issue. A consensus among the concerned countries is needed with regard to standard operating procedures, harmonization of standards and customs procedures, and service charges and user fees for transit facilities. Additionally, significant investment will be required for trade facilitation and to upgrade border trade facilities at land ports, inland waterways, and sea ports. The study identifies five key areas where concrete action from major stakeholders is required: (i) mobilizing the necessary funds for building physical infrastructure; (ii) identifying and sequencing of priorities; (iii) cross-border coordination; (iv) building human resources to manage cross-border mega projects; and (v) building supply-side capacities to benefit from connectivity-driven regional market opportunities. |
| Keywords: | trade facilitation; cross-border movement of goods; vehicles; investments and services; regional connectivity |
| JEL: | F15 R42 |
| Date: | 2014–09–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbiwp:0500&r=tre |
| By: | Shilpi, Forhad; Sangraula, Prem; Li, Yue |
| Abstract: | Using bilateral migration flow data from the 2010 population census of Nepal, this paper provides evidence on the importance of public infrastructure and services in determining migration flows. The empirical specification, based on a generalized nested logit model, corrects for the non-random selection of migrants. The results show that migrants prefer areas that are nearer to paved roads and have better access to electricity. Apart from electricity's impact on income and through income on migration, the econometric results indicate that migrants attach substantial amenity value to access to electricity. These findings have important implications for the placement of basic infrastructure projects and the way benefits from these projects are evaluated. |
| Keywords: | Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Population Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Anthropology,Public Sector Economics |
| Date: | 2014–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:7047&r=tre |
| By: | Lijia Tan (The Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics and MOE Key Laboratory in Econometrics, Xiamen University); Lijia Wei (School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University) |
| Abstract: | In Singapore and many Chinese cities, tens of thousands of people participate in car license auctions each month. In a car license auction, many car licenses are sold but each participant can only bid for one license. We examine the theoretical properties of three auction formats: Shanghai auction, Guangzhou auction, and Singapore auction. Our main results are that (1) No equilibrium of the Shanghai auction can guarantee an efficient allocation, (2) the Singapore auction allocates objects efficiently if and only if a unique market clearing price does not exist, and (3) the Guangzhou auction is efficient if bidders are symmetric. The experimental evidence confirms our theoretical prediction. Our experiment also shows that the learning effects over time are quite different among these auction formats. |
| Keywords: | Auction; Car License; Laboratory Experiment |
| JEL: | C92 D02 D04 D44 |
| Date: | 2014–09–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fee:wpaper:1401&r=tre |