Location of the labour force in an interregional general equilibrium model ? an applied case

The consequence of low level of infrastructure between the metropolitan area of Copenhagen and the Western and Southern areas ? the counties of Vestsjælland and Storstrøm ? is analysed. The metropolitan area of Copenhagen has experienced economic growth in the past decade and the demand for labour is rising. The analysis considers economic effects of the level of infrastructure, via the interaction with the labour market. An interregional general equilibrium model of the two regions has been constructed and a case with better infrastructure is analysed. The heterogeneous labour force differs with respect to taste of leisure and taste of residential location. In the model better infrastructure results in more willingness to search for a job in both regions, but infrastructure investment has to be financed, commuting generates emissions, and regional price effects influence the equilibrium. Costs and benefits are included in the modelling.

Regional wage differentials - does distance matter?

This paper uses econometric methods to analyse causes of regional wage differentials in Denmark for the period1996-1999 and quantifies the importance of spatial proximity. Grouped data sets are used. Two concepts of distance are investigated. The first assumes that there is a positive production externality present in a centre that declines as the distance to the centre increases. Different definitions of a centre are tested. The second distance concept is commuting distance. Both distance measures have the expected sign and are significant, but the effects are small. JEL classification: J31 Key words: Wage differentials, distance, grouped data.

Modelling Transport in an Interregional General Equilibrium Model with Externalities

In this working paper the regional impacts of road pricing on cars are analysed taking into account externality effects from transportation on wages and productivity. In the paper the direct impacts from changes in transport costs on level of wages and productivity (=direct externality effects) have been estimated. The direct and derived impacts of road pricing have been analysed with AKF’s local economic model LINE and include the impacts on regional production, income and employment. LINE is an interregional general equilibrium model, which uses an interregional social accounting matrix (SAM-K) and a regional transport satellite account as the basis for modelling. Additionally, data from a GIS-system (Technical University of Copenhagen) on transport costs have been included to estimate the demand for transport commodities and increase in transport demand and costs due to road pricing. The direct effects on level of wages and productivity have been included into the model together with all the direct effects on commodity prices from road pricing. In the working paper the total impacts of road pricing have been subdivided into 2 components: 1) The wage effects of reducing income net of commuting of increasing transport cost by introduction of road pricing, 2) the labour contraction effect from increasing wages through increase in commuting cost and 3) the negative productivity effects of introducing road pricing. In total the impacts of road pricing are substantial. Regions with high level of average commuting cost (suburban areas in Greater Copenhagen) suffers most, whereas the centre of Copenhagen suffers least because of short commuting distances. In rural areas impacts are on or just below average because low level of road pricing.

Congestion and Residential Moving Behaviour

In this paper we study how congestion and residential movingbehaviour are interrelated using a two-region job search model. Workerschoose optimally between interregional commuting and residential movingto live closer to the place of work. This choice affects the external costs ofcommuting due to congestion. The welfare maximizing road tax is derived.We demonstrate that road pricing may not only reduce congestion but alsoincrease total residential moving costs in the economy. One of the mainconsequences is that the road tax does not necessarily increase welfare.Congestion; Residential Moving and Job Search

Congestion and residential moving behaviour

In this paper, we study how congestion and residential moving behaviour are interrelated, using a two-region job search model. Workers choose between interregional commuting and residential moving, in order to live closer to their place of work. This choice affects the external costs of commuting, due to congestion. We focus on the equilibrium in which some workers currently living in one region accept jobs in the other, with a fraction of them choosing to commute from their current residence to the new job in the other region and the remainder choosing to move to the region in which the new job is located. The welfare-maximising road tax is derived, which is essentially the Pigouvian tax, given the absence of a tax on moving. Given the presence of moving taxes, which are substantial in Europe, the optimal road tax for commuters is the Pigouvian tax plus the amortised value of the moving tax, evaluated at the first-best equilibrium. As a consequence, the road tax should be higher for commuters than for other travellers. Our numerical example demonstrates that the naive optimal road tax, which ignores the effect of the moving tax, is substantially below the optimal road tax.

Transport costs in a multiregional equilibrium job search model

In this chapter, we introduce a multiregional equilibrium job search model to analyse the economic effects of intraregional and interregional transport cost changes. The key assumption is that unemployed job seekers and firms with vacancies have to search for each other. The regional unemployment and vacancy equilibrium rates, as well as the wage levels, are endogenously determined. According to the model, decreases in interregional transport costs tend to reduce local and national unemployment and increase vacancies. Model simulations indicate that wages are less sensitive compared to producer prices and that both labour-market search effects and negative externalities have substantial impacts on the overall effect of changes in transport costs