nep-tre New Economics Papers
on Transport Economics
Issue of 2016‒07‒02
thirteen papers chosen by
Erik Teodoor Verhoef
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

  1. The Development of Mechanisms of State Regulation, Creating Conditions to Attract and Protect Investments in the Infrastructure Sector (On the Example of the Rail Transport) By Suyunchev, O.O.; Mozgovaya, Oxanaàíà Olegovna; Agafonov, D.V.
  2. Validation of reference forecasts for passenger traffic By Andersson, Matts; Brundell-Freij, Karin; Eliasson, Jonas
  3. Logistics Strategy and Performance Measurement: Mexico's National Observatory for Transport and Logistics By OECD
  4. Next train to the polycentric city: The effect of railroads on subcenter formation By Miquel-Àngel Garcia-López; Camille Hémet; Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal
  5. Impact of Infrastructure Investment on Tax: Estimating Spillover Effects of the Kyushu High-Speed Rail Line in Japan on Regional Tax Revenue By Yoshino, Naoyuki; Abidhadjaev, Umid
  6. Big Data and Transport: Understanding and Assessing Options By OECD
  7. Long-term energy demand forecasting in Romania : an end-use demand By Malla,Sunil; Timilsina,Govinda R.
  8. Introducing Railway Time in the Balkans: Economic effects of railway construction in Southeast Europe and beyond since the early 19th century until present days By Eduard Alvarez; Mario Holzner; Stefan Jestl; Jordi Marti-Henneberg
  9. Data-Driven Transport Policy By OECD
  10. Laboratory experiments on the regulation of European network industries By Henze, B.
  11. Air traffic and economic growth: the case of developing countries By François Bourguignon; Pierre-Emmanuel Darpeix
  12. The Competitiveness of Ports in Emerging Markets: The case of Durban, South Africa By OECD
  13. Understanding Gasoline Price Dispersion By Demet Yilmazkuday; Hakan Yilmazkuday

  1. By: Suyunchev, O.O. (Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA)); Mozgovaya, Oxanaàíà Olegovna (Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA)); Agafonov, D.V. (Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA))
    Abstract: The research provides the survey of railway infrastructure regulation according to attracting investments for sector development. The research analyses the modern railway infrastructure of the Russian Federation and railway infrastructure services. The impact of railway infrastructure services tariffs on the service fees of railway transport operators (freight and passenger) was studied. The analysis of railway infrastructure government regulation practices and the applied mechanisms to attract and retain investments in the infrastructure sector was carried out.
    Keywords: railway infrastructure, regulation, Russian Federation
    Date: 2016–04–25
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rnp:wpaper:2545&r=tre
  2. By: Andersson, Matts (WSP); Brundell-Freij, Karin (WSP); Eliasson, Jonas (KTH)
    Abstract: We have compared Swedish national forecasts for passenger traffic produced from 1975 to 2009 with the actual outcomes, and we found substantial differences between forecasts of passenger kilometers by mode and actual outcomes. In forecasts produced since the early 1990s, road and air traffic growth rates have generally been overpredicted, aggregate railway growth has been fairly accurate, commercial long-distance railway growth has been overpredicted, and the growth of subsidized intra-regional railway travel has been underpredicted following vast unanticipated supply increases. Focusing on car traffic forecasts, we show that a very large share of forecast errors can be explained by input variables turning out to be different than what was assumed in the forecasts. Even the original forecasts are much closer to actual outcomes than simple trendlines would have been, and once the input assumptions are corrected, the forecasts vastly outperform simple trendlines. The potential problems of using cross-sectional models for forecasting intertemporal changes thus seem to be limited. This tentative conclusion is also supported by the finding that elasticities from the cross-sectional models are consistent with those from a time-series model.
    Keywords: Demand modeling; Forecast; Transport; Accuracy; Validation
    JEL: R41 R42
    Date: 2016–06–07
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ctswps:2016_015&r=tre
  3. By: OECD
    Abstract: Mexico has an effective transport and logistics sector that has provided the backbone for growth in the economy and a rapid expansion of foreign trade. Development of the sector has been enabled by the deregulation of road haulage and rail services in the 1990s, which saw prices for transport decline substantially and stimulated investment by the private sector in vehicles and in rail infrastructure. This has been accompanied by major public investments in roads and ports and a range of policies that have promoted the development of industrial parks, multimodal infrastructure, and logistics clusters along trade corridors, facilitating inward investment as a motor for regional development.
    Date: 2015–05–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaac:11-en&r=tre
  4. By: Miquel-Àngel Garcia-López (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona & Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB)); Camille Hémet (UEcole Normale Supérieure (PSE) & Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB)); Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal (Universitat de Barcelona & Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB))
    Abstract: Recent evidence reveals that transportation’s improvements within metropolitan areas have a clear effect on population and job decentralization processes. Yet, very little has been said on how these improvements affect the spatial organization of the economic activity in the suburbs. This paper analyses the effects of transportation’s changes on employment subcenters formation. Using data from metropolitan Paris between 1968 and 2010, we first show that rail network improvements cause the expected job decentralization by attracting jobs to suburban municipalities. Our main contribution is to show that the new rail transit clearly affects the spatial organization of employment through the number and size of the employment subcenters: not only does the presence of a rail station increase the probability of a suburban municipality of belonging to a subcenter by 5 to 10 %, but a 10 % increase in municipality proximity to a suburban station is found to increase its chance to be part of a subcenter by 3 to 5 %.
    Keywords: urban spatial structure, decentralization, subcenters, polycentric city, transportation
    JEL: R11 R12 R14 R4 O2
    Date: 2016
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ieb:wpaper:doc2016-14&r=tre
  5. By: Yoshino, Naoyuki (Asian Development Bank Institute); Abidhadjaev, Umid (Asian Development Bank Institute)
    Abstract: This paper analyzes the impact of infrastructure investment on tax revenues and on the regional economy by studying the effect of the Kyushu high-speed rail line (shinkansen train) in Japan. The effects of the Kyushu high-speed rail line on the economy has often been debated. We estimated its impact in the Kyushu region by using the difference-in-difference method, and compared the tax revenues of regions along the railway line with other regions that were not affected by it. Our findings show a positive impact on the region’s tax revenue following the connection of the Kyushu rapid train with large cities such as Hiroshima and Osaka. Tax revenue in the region significantly increased during the construction in 1991–2003, and dropped after the start of operations in 2004–2010. The rapid train’s impact on the neighboring prefectures of Kyushu is positive. The difference-in-difference coefficient methods reveal that corporate tax revenue was lower than personal income tax revenue during construction. However, the difference in corporate tax revenues rose after connectivity with large cities was completed. The railway’s connectivity to large cities has a significant economic impact not only in the case of Japan but also in other cases such as Uzbekistan.
    Keywords: infrastructure; railway; tax revenue; tax income; public investment; regional economy; economic development; development planning; urban development; macroeconomic analysis; Japan; Kyushu; prefecture
    JEL: H54 O11 O23 R11
    Date: 2016–06–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbiwp:0574&r=tre
  6. By: OECD
    Abstract: This report examines issues relating to the arrival of massive, often real-time, data sets whose exploitation and amalgamation can lead to new policy-relevant insights and operational improvements for transport services and activity. It is comprised of three parts. The first section gives an overview of the issues examined. The second broadly characterises Big Data, and describes its production, sourcing and key elements in Big Data analysis. The third section describes regulatory frameworks that govern data collection and use, and focuses on issues related to data privacy for location data.
    Date: 2015–04–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaac:8-en&r=tre
  7. By: Malla,Sunil; Timilsina,Govinda R.
    Abstract: This study develops an end-use energy demand analysis model for Romania to project energy demand by sector and end-use for 2015-50. The study finds that Romania's energy demand in 2050 would be 34 percent higher than the level in 2013. The industry sector would be the largest final energy-consuming sector, surpassing the residential sector from 2025 onward. The services sector would exhibit the fastest growth of energy consumption in line with the expected structural change from manufacturing to services. Although population in the country is projected to drop by 7 percent in 2050 from the 2013 level, electricity demand would increase by 46 percent over the same period, because of increased household income and the expanded service sector, which is relatively electricity intensive. Still, per capita electricity consumption in Romania will be about half the European Union 28 average. At the end-use level, thermal processes in the industry sector, space heating in the residential and services sectors, and road transportation in the transport sector would be dominant throughout the study period. The study also shows that improvement of energy efficiency in the heating system would be the main channel to cut energy demand in the country.
    Keywords: Energy Demand,Climate Change Economics,Energy Production and Transportation,Energy and Environment,Transport Economics Policy&Planning
    Date: 2016–06–07
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:7697&r=tre
  8. By: Eduard Alvarez; Mario Holzner (The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw); Stefan Jestl (The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw); Jordi Marti-Henneberg
    Abstract: Abstract In this paper we analyse the economic effects of railway infrastructure at the national level for European countries as well as at the local level for Southeast European cities based on a novel railway database capturing decades of the 19th century up to the early 21th century. A panel fixed effects regression analysis at the country level indicates a positive economic impact emanating from railway infrastructure, whereby the effect appears to be even stronger for less developed Southeast European countries. In addition, a linear spatially augmented multilevel model at the city level sheds light on the positive effects resulting from railway infrastructure on urban development. Its positive spillover effects occur within countries as well as across borders.
    Keywords: Railway, infrastructure, Balkans, Southeast Europe, backwardness, urban development, economic development, railway accessibility, infrastructural spillovers, multilevel model, historical analysis
    JEL: L92 N13 N14 N73 N74 N93 N94 O18 O47 R11 R41
    Date: 2016–05
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wii:bpaper:121&r=tre
  9. By: OECD
    Abstract: Building on our 2015 study Big Data and Transport: Understanding and Assessing Options, this report presents the findings of an extensive exploration of these two broad themes at a workshop on "21st Century Public Interest Data Sharing" in Paris in November 2015, which involved a wide range of experts and stakeholders brought together under the auspices of the International Transport Forum’s Corporate Partnership Board.
    Date: 2016–05–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaac:20-en&r=tre
  10. By: Henze, B. (Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management)
    Abstract: The main objective of this thesis is to use economic laboratory experiments in order to evaluate the performance of regulatory schemes and market designs in addressing challenges encountered in the regulation of European network industries. Chapter 2 assesses whether regulatory holidays and Long Term Financial Transportation Rights (LTFTR) can provide a network operator with incentives for optimal network expansion. However, in the studied environment which captures essential features of gas transportation networks, neither of the two schemes generates improvements over a baseline of price cap regulation. Chapter 3 investigates whether auctions can be used to successfully implement two-part tariff Incremental Surplus Subsidy (ISS) schemes under aggregate demand uncertainty. Depending on the method used for determining the network users’ individual contributions to the subsidy, multi-unit Vickrey auctions yield promising results. Chapter 4 finally studies the effects of providing varying degrees of transparency in a duopolistic market for experience goods. Under full transparency, the two sellers are found not to maximally differentiate the quality of their products as theory would predict but to rather engage in fierce price competition at high quality levels. Moreover, even intermediate levels of transparency result in significantly higher consumer surplus and total welfare when compared to a situation without any transparency
    Date: 2016
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tiu:tiutis:b18fcfca-2b95-4b01-91e2-049839e9817b&r=tre
  11. By: François Bourguignon (PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENS Paris - École normale supérieure - Paris - École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC), PSE - Paris School of Economics); Pierre-Emmanuel Darpeix (PSE - Paris School of Economics, PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENS Paris - École normale supérieure - Paris - École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC))
    Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between air traffic and economic growth in various developing regions and compares it with an “enduring industry fact” of an elasticity around 2 for the developed world. The analysis is conducted from two distinct databases, both with regional aggregates and with country-level ECM estimations. We conclude that there does not seem to be substantial differences in elasticities across the various regions and we show that the introduction of autonomous country-specific time trends leads to a substantial reduction of elasticity estimates.
    Keywords: Air transportation,panel cointegration,error correction model,GDP-elasticities,development
    Date: 2016–06
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:gmonwp:halshs-01332085&r=tre
  12. By: OECD
    Abstract: This paper outlines the competitiveness of ports in Durban, south Africa. It looks at port performance, impact, and policies and governance issues.
    Date: 2014–11–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaac:2-en&r=tre
  13. By: Demet Yilmazkuday (Department of Economics, Florida International University); Hakan Yilmazkuday (Department of Economics, Florida International University)
    Abstract: This paper models and estimates the gasoline price dispersion across time and space by using a unique data set at the gas-station level within the U.S.. Nationwide effects (measured by time Â…fixed effects or crude oil prices) explain up to about 51% of the gasoline price dispersion across stations. RefiÂ…nery-specific costs, which have been ignored in the literature due to using local data sets within the U.S., contribute up to another 33% to the price dispersion. While state taxes explain about 12% of the price dispersion, spatial factors such as local agglomeration externalities, land prices, distribution costs of gasoline explain up to about 4%. The contribution of brand-specifiÂ…c factors is relatively minor.
    Keywords: Gasoline Prices, Gas-Station Level Analysis, Nighttime Lights, Land Prices, the United States
    JEL: L11 L81 R32 R41
    Date: 2016–06
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fiu:wpaper:1602&r=tre

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