nep-tre New Economics Papers
on Transport Economics
Issue of 2023‒09‒18
eight papers chosen by
Erik Teodoor Verhoef, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam


  1. New Passenger Vehicle Demand Elasticities: Estimates and Policy Implications By Leard, Benjamin; Wu, Yidi
  2. Does courier gender matter? Exploring mode choice behaviour for E-groceries crowd-shipping in developing economies By Oleksandr Rossolov; Anastasiia Botsman; Serhii Lyfenko; Yusak O. Susilo
  3. Show Me the Money! Incentives and Nudges to Shift Electric Vehicle Charge Timing By Bailey, Megan R.; Brown, David P.; Shaffer, Blake; Wolak, Frank A.
  4. Driver Heterogeneity in Willingness to Give Control to Conditional Automation By Muhammad Sajjad Ansar; Nael Alsaleh; Bilal Farooq
  5. Infrastructure and Finance: Evidence from India's GQ Highway Network By Abhiman Das; Ejaz Ghani; Arti Grover Goswami; William R. Kerr; Ramana Nanda
  6. Understanding the relationship between remote-working employees’ well-being and job-effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic By Mandeep Saini; Thomas Roulet
  7. Economywide impacts of expansion of maritime trade efficiencies in Senegal - A recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium approach By Amarendra Sahoo; Victor Nechifor; Emanuele Ferrari; Valeria Ferreira; Damit Serge Didier Amany
  8. Costs and Benefits of Congestion in Two-Sided Markets: Evidence from the Dating Market By Tobias Lehmann; Camille Terrier; Rafael Lalive

  1. By: Leard, Benjamin (Resources for the Future); Wu, Yidi
    Abstract: We apply a simple methodology to estimate own- and cross-price elasticities of new passenger vehicle demand based on household-level survey data. Our methodology combines own-price elasticity estimates with diversion fractions constructed from second-choice data. We obtain a set of elasticities that are relevant for policy analysis, including an aggregate market elasticity, a matrix of car and light truck elasticities, and a matrix of gasoline and electric vehicle (EV) elasticities. Our results have implications for evaluating incidence of fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for passenger vehicles and policies for increasing EV adoption.
    Date: 2023–08–23
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-23-33&r=tre
  2. By: Oleksandr Rossolov; Anastasiia Botsman; Serhii Lyfenko; Yusak O. Susilo
    Abstract: This paper examines the mode choice behaviour of people who may act as occasional couriers to provide crowd-shipping (CS) deliveries. Given its recent increase in popularity, online grocery services have become the main market for crowd-shipping deliveries' provider. The study included a behavioural survey, PTV Visum simulations and discrete choice behaviour modelling based on random utility maximization theory. Mode choice behaviour was examined by considering the gender heterogeneity of the occasional couriers in a multimodal urban transport network. The behavioural dataset was collected in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, at the beginning of 2021. The results indicated that women were willing to provide CS service with 8% less remuneration than men. Women were also more likely to make 10% longer detours by car and metro than men, while male couriers were willing to implement 25% longer detours when travelling by bike or walking. Considering the integration of CS detours into the couriers' routine trip chains, women couriers were more likely to attach the CS trip to the work-shopping trip chain whilst men would use the home-home evening time trip chain. The estimated marginal probability effect indicated a higher detour time sensitivity with respect to expected profit and the relative detour costs of the couriers.
    Date: 2023–08
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2308.07993&r=tre
  3. By: Bailey, Megan R. (University of Calgary); Brown, David P. (University of Alberta, Department of Economics); Shaffer, Blake (University of Calgary); Wolak, Frank A. (Stanford University)
    Abstract: We use a field experiment to measure the effectiveness of financial incentives and moral suasion “nudges” to shift the timing of electric vehicle (EV) charging. We find EV owners respond strongly to financial incentives, while nudges have no statistically discernible effect. When financial incentives are removed, charge timing reverts to pre-intervention behavior, showing no evidence of habit formation and reinforcing our finding that “money matters”. Our charge price responsiveness estimate is an order of magnitude larger than typical household electricity consumption elasticities. This result highlights the greater flexibility of EV charging over other forms of residential electricity demand.
    Keywords: Electric Vehicles; Demand Response; Nudges; Experiment
    JEL: Q41 Q48 Q55 Q58 R48
    Date: 2023–08–30
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:albaec:2023_008&r=tre
  4. By: Muhammad Sajjad Ansar; Nael Alsaleh; Bilal Farooq
    Abstract: The driver's willingness to give (WTG) control in conditionally automated driving is assessed in a virtual reality based driving-rig, through their choice to give away driving control and through the extent to which automated driving is adopted in a mixed-traffic environment. Within- and across-class unobserved heterogeneity and locus of control variations are taken into account. The choice of giving away control is modelled using the mixed logit (MIXL) and mixed latent class (LCML) model. The significant latent segments of the locus of control are developed into internalizers and externalizers by the latent class model (LCM) based on the taste heterogeneity identified from the MIXL model. Results suggest that drivers choose to "giveAway" control of the vehicle when greater concentration/attentiveness is required (e.g., in the nighttime) or when they are interested in performing a non-driving-related task (NDRT). In addition, it is observed that internalizers demonstrate more heterogeneity compared to externalizers in terms of WTG.
    Date: 2023–08
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2308.06426&r=tre
  5. By: Abhiman Das; Ejaz Ghani; Arti Grover Goswami; William R. Kerr; Ramana Nanda
    Abstract: We use data from Reserve Bank of India to study the impact of India's Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) highway project on finance-dependent activity. Loan volumes increase by 20-30% in districts along GQ and are stronger in industries more dependent upon external finance. Loan growth begins with increases in average branch size and in places with more pre-GQ loan activity. New branch openings come later, consistent with short-run adjustment costs to expanding branch networks. These patterns are not evident in placebo tests using delayed investments in NS-EW highways. Results suggest the depth of initial financial infrastructure shapes how infrastructure investments impact localities.
    JEL: G21 H4 O18 R12 R14 R33 R42
    Date: 2023–08
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31590&r=tre
  6. By: Mandeep Saini; Thomas Roulet (Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge)
    Abstract: While extensive research has been done to understand the relationship between employees’ wellbeing and job-effectiveness, the research is limited and inconclusive for a remote-working context. This mixed-methods study investigates the unique context of COVID-19-induced remote working to understand that relationship and its influencing factors, and help shape remote working in the future. The research was carried out at a medium-size, not-for-profit organization, using a subjective assessment for measuring employees’ job-effectiveness and four sub-variables to measure their well-being: job satisfaction, stress level, work-life balance, and general health. The study finds a positive correlation between employees’ well-being and job-effectiveness; however, the results indicate a stronger correlation for decline in well-being and job-effectiveness. It identifies three types of factors which have impacted the employees’ well-being and jobeffectiveness while working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic: organizational (organisational support and preparedness, communication, and job type), external (caring responsibilities, lack of social interaction, closed activities, and travel restrictions) and individual (personality traits, lack of commute, healthy habits, career stage/skill level, home-working environment, and time-planning flexibility and control). The study proposes a set of recommendations for practitioners in relation to remote working, including adopting a flexible approach that allows for individual differences.
    Date: 2022–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jbs:wpaper:202202&r=tre
  7. By: Amarendra Sahoo (European Commission - JRC); Victor Nechifor (European Commission - JRC); Emanuele Ferrari (European Commission - JRC); Valeria Ferreira; Damit Serge Didier Amany (West African Development Bank (BOAD))
    Abstract: Senegal's strategic location along the Trans-Saharan trade route play a crucial role in the country's trade industry. About half of the country’s demand for food crops is imported. However, the port capacity is increasingly facing pressures due to its infrastructural constraints leading to hidden iceberg type of costs. Infrastructural investment can potentially raise the port capacity, hence increasing the efficiencies of trade transactions by doing away with the existing iceberg costs. The study applies a recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium model to evaluate potential outcomes of increased efficiencies in maritime trade on Senegal’s economic performances and wellbeing of Senegal. The findings indicate that increasing the efficiencies of maritime trade would result in lower costs for imported food products and inputs to the domestic activities, enhancing country’s competitiveness in the export markets that would boost domestic output, particularly of cash crops, industrial food and chemical products. Increased availability of food supply with higher purchasing power of the households would support the country’s food security. Improved maritime efficiencies would improve country’s economic growth and overall welfare with urban households benefiting the most. There would be significant reduction in poverty incidence at the national level, with larger impacts on rural areas. However, impacts on extreme poor are substantially lower than poverty incidence.
    Keywords: Recursive Dynamic CGE Model, Senegal, Maritime Trade, Efficiencies, Iceberg Costs, Economic Performance, Poverty
    Date: 2023–08
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:eapoaf:202301&r=tre
  8. By: Tobias Lehmann (University of Lausanne); Camille Terrier (Queen Mary University London); Rafael Lalive (University of Lausanne)
    Abstract: Congestion is a widespread phenomenon in two-sided markets, but evidence on its costs and benefits is limited. Using data from an online dating platform, we document a large excess demand, or congestion, for some women. By exploiting exogenous variation in the number of men and women using the platform, we show that congestion slows down matching time for men. Congestion benefits women who screen men’s profiles quickly, by increasing their choice set. This asymmetry implies that policies aimed at reducing congestion can harm the side of the market that benefits from congestion.
    Keywords: Congestion, two-sided markets, online platforms
    JEL: D4 D47 D62 D83
    Date: 2023–08–31
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:qmw:qmwecw:964&r=tre

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