Abstract

This book concerns the regulation of transport within a European context, covering air, rail, road passenger and freight, urban public transport, inland waterways, short sea shipping and intermodal transport. All these sectors have experienced substantial changes over the last three decades and this book aims to present the main such changes and their impacts. Over this period, and since the publication of the first European Commission (EC) Transport White Paper in 1992 (European Commission, 1992), important reforms of the transport sectors have been introduced in individual member states and supported by various EC initiatives, including implementation of several Directives and a number of Green and White Papers, most recently in 2011 (European Commission, 2011). Even though this has not been an objective of the Commission, there have been changes in ownership structures moving away from significant state intervention towards more autonomous entities and even private sector involvement for both transport infrastructure and operations. Some progress has also been achieved in terms of competition for transport operations, facilitated amongst others through third-party access rights to the markets. Document type: Book

Abstract

Infrastructure is viewed as a crucial ingredient to foster growth and productivity. Amid the post -- global financial crisis slowdown, Sub-Saharan Africa is in dire need to continue the growth momentum it experienced during the period of the Africa Rising narrative. An emerging consensus in the empirical literature is that, under the right circumstances, an adequate supply of infrastructure can help foster growth in the region. This paper provides a scorecard on infrastructure development in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past decades along four sectors (telecommunications, electric power, transportation, and water and sanitation) and three dimensions (quantity, quality, and access). First, it documents the existence of a large gap in infrastructure in the region—although the magnitude of the gap depends on the sector, dimension, and country/group. Second, the potential growth benefits from closing the infrastructure gap are large. Third, the infrastructure financing needs are very large, and the public sector so far is unable to meet these needs. Other options that involve the private sector may be available for the region. Finally, there is room for improving the efficiency of public infrastructure spending (that is, the quality of public investment management systems and procurement methods), which, in turn, may increase the output multiplier of investment spending. Document type: Book

Abstract

The challenges faced by Indonesia in creating a robust Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program are similar to those faced by many other middle-income countries. This paper provides a gap analysis for Indonesia's PPP framework based on lessons learned and good practice from countries with successful PPP programs. It identifies, in particular, the need for the government to: select good projects for PPP, rather than only complex ones that are less likely to attract private partners. Establish a list of projects by a limited cabinet meeting and stick to it-issuing different lists of projects and holding showcase summits with open agendas tends to confuse the market. Keep those projects on track for PPP-allowing the contracting agencies to develop prospective projects directly, or to award them without competition leads investors to question the commitment and resolve of the government to its own PPP process. Prepare projects well, using the Ministry of Finance to provide access to: 1) a team of PPP experts to help contracting agencies develop projects; 2) project preparation funding to help pay the high costs of preparation; and 3) viability gap funding to make projects more affordable and bankable by defraying some of the capital costs. Document type: Book

Abstract

El autotransporte es de los sectores más contaminantes en México, generando alrededor de 17% del total de emisiones de CO2. El consumo de gasolina y diesel son la principal fuente de estas emisiones. Este artículo analiza empíricamente la demanda de gasolinas del sector automotor en México durante el periodo 1960-2008. Las estimaciones de las elasticidades de largo y corto plazos del precio e ingreso fueron: -0.285, -0.041, 1.004 y 0.721, lo que implica que la demanda de gasolinas es sensible a la trayectoria del ingreso e inelástica a los precios. Por tanto, un crecimiento económico continuo, sin una adecuada política de precios, generará un aumento en el consumo de gasolinas. Esta situación puede ser más grave al considerar los efectos del cambio climático suponiendo una demanda relativamente constante. Bajo estas circunstancias es necesario implantar diversas políticas públicas simultáneamente para frenar las consecuencias del consumo de gasolinas sobre el cambio climático. The transportation sector is one of the most polluting sectors in Mexico, generating around 17% of total CO2 emissions. Moreover, the consumption of gasoline and diesel are the main source of these emissions. This document empirically analyses the fuel demand in the transportation sector of Mexico over the period 1960-2008. The results show that the long -and short- run price and income elasticities in fuel consumption are: -0.285, -0.041, 1.004 and 0.721. This implies that fuel demand is sensitive to the trajectory of income and is inelastic to prices. Therefore, a continuous economic growth without a suitable price policy will generate an increase in gasoline consumption. This situation could be worst if we take into consideration the effects on climate change. Under these circumstances it is necessary to implement simultaneously a variety of public policies to control the impact of fuel consumption on climate change. Document type: Article

Abstract