Laaser, Claus-Friedrich

English

Research Papers in Economics

econstor
www.econstor.eu
Der Open-Access-Publikationsserver der ZBW – Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft
The Open Access Publication Server of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics
Nutzungsbedingungen:
Die ZBW räumt Ihnen als Nutzerin/Nutzer das unentgeltliche,
räumlich unbeschränkte und zeitlich auf die Dauer des Schutzrechts
beschränkte einfache Recht ein, das ausgewählte Werk im Rahmen
der unter
→  http://www.econstor.eu/dspace/Nutzungsbedingungen
nachzulesenden vollständigen Nutzungsbedingungen zu
vervielfältigen, mit denen die Nutzerin/der Nutzer sich durch die
erste Nutzung einverstanden erklärt.
Terms of use:
The ZBW grants you, the user, the non-exclusive right to use
the selected work free of charge, territorially unrestricted and
within the time limit of the term of the property rights according
to the terms specified at
→  http://www.econstor.eu/dspace/Nutzungsbedingungen
By the first use of the selected work the user agrees and
declares to comply with these terms of use.
zbw
Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft
Leibniz Information Centre for Economics
Laaser, Claus-Friedrich
Book Review
[Book Review of] Transport networks in Europe :
concepts, analysis, and policies, Kenneth Button ...
(eds.) : Cheltenham, Elgar, 1998
Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv
Provided in cooperation with:
Institut für Weltwirtschaft (IfW)
Suggested citation: Laaser, Claus-Friedrich (2000) : [Book Review of] Transport networks
in Europe : concepts, analysis, and policies, Kenneth Button ... (eds.) : Cheltenham, Elgar,
1998, Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv, ISSN 0043-2636, Vol. 136, Iss. 3, pp. 560-562, http://
hdl.handle.net/10419/2492REZENSIONEN - BaOK REVIEWS
Button, Kenneth, Peter Nijkamp, and Hugo Priemus (eds.), Transport Networks in
Europe - Concepts, Analysis and Policies. Cheltenham 1998. Edward Elgar. XVI,
362 pp.
This comprehensive conference proceedings volume on theoretical, empirical and
political issues ofEuropean transport network development, edited by Kenneth Button,
PeterNijkamp and Hugo Priemus, provides a wide rangeofpapers which were present-
ed and discussed at a European Research Conference entitled "Policies on European
Networks" held under the auspices of the Network on European Communications and
TransportActivityResearch(NECTAR) inEspinho (Portugal) from 17 to 23 April 1995.
Though the publication of the conference proceedings absorbed three years - pre-
sumably in part due to the fact that the authors were advised to revise their papers in
the light ofthe discussions, a fact that indicates the high quality ofthe event - the top-
ics ofthe papers are by no means confined to problems ofthe 1990s. Just the opposite
is true, the readerfinds a cornprehensive agenda ofstill highly relevant issues in trans-
porteconomics. The list ofcontributors reveals that a greatnumberofleading research-
ers in transport economies and related research disciplines participated, among them
several scholars who are very active in the Regional Science Association Internation-
al, and what they have to contributeare thoroughly workedoutandengagingly present-
ed analyses ofstill unsolved problems oftransport networks in Europe.
The conference agenda covered a wide range oftopics, beginning with network eco-
nornics in general, goingfurtherto microeconomictransportbusiness analyses, to region-
al impacts oftransport, to discussions on reguIatory issues and onthe appropriate roIe of
the public sector, and ending with the still unsolved problems ofsustainable transport.
Though the conference topic has been insprired by the new task of the European
Union as granted by Article 129b-d of the Maastricht Treaty - taking action towards
forming and completing Trans-European Networks (TENs) in transport, telecommuni-
cations,andenergy-,the contributions to thisvolumeda notgotoomuchinto thedetails
ofthe concrete EU TEN policy approaches. The summarizing remarks ofthe editors as
weIl as some hints on TEN projects in the DavidBanister, Bernard Gerardin and lose
Viegas paperwhich deals with public-privatepartnerships and allocationofresponsibil-
ities in transport policy at different layers of decisionmaking can be regarded as
totally sufficient for the purpose ofinfonning the reader on the main lines of the TEN
initiative. Insteadofdealingwith the details ofthese, the volume goes backtothe under-
lying basics of transport economics, both from a theoreticaI and from an applied per-
spective. Under this wide range oftopics, the reader is invitedto take a lookbehindthe
scenes ofactual transport network evolution in Europe.
Though from time to time some more formal analytical tools are applied in a number
of articles, such as in the Heli Koski paper on the contribution ofinfonnation and com-
munications networks to transport and the uncertainty effects of network extemalities
which might hamper the spreading ofcommunications networks, the volume remains a
pleasantpieceofreadingeven forthose who prefera verbal discussionofeconomic prob-
lems. Going through the different articles reveals the effort ofquite a numberofauthors
to strictly categorize the underlying problems and potential ways to theirsolution in order
to enhance the transparency on causes and consequences oftransport policy approaches.
This technique which is, e.g., employedby Cristina Capineri and Dirk-Jan F. Kamann on
different concepts and perceptionsofsynergies within networks, by Roberta Capello and
Piet Rietveldon policy implications ofnetwork synergies viewed from different perspec-
tives (rnicro, meso ormacro) orPeterNijkamp, Sytze A. Rienstra andlaap M. Vleugelon
sustainable transport scenarios, facilitates the view behind the scenes and serves to sep-Rezensionen - Book Reviews 561
arate important from less important elements. In addition, a numberofarticles compris-
es a survey ofthe relevant literature - the Dino Martellato, PeterNijkamp andAura Reg-
giani paperon accessibility may serve as an example - so thatoptions forgoingmore into
details are provided to the interested reader.
Conceming the perception of networks, a common feature ofmany articles is that
they are putting the emphasis on the "software side", on the operation ofexisting infra-
structure facilities, on the virtual characterofnetworks, and on the complementary reg-
ulatory framework for transport, in contrast to the traditional meaning oftransport net-
works in the senseofmaterialinfrastructure, Le., roads, railway lines, canalsorairports.
InstitutionaIandregulatoryaspectsofnetworks andofoperatingserviceson themabsorb
a substantial part of the volume, and this seems entirely warranted in the light of the
integrated character oftransport infrastructure, user regimes, transport regulation, and
transport service markets. Moreover, the transport function is more and more integrat-
ed into a value added chain ofsophisticated logistics so that not only the functioning of
the material infrastructure (as the basic layer) and ofthe transport markets (a~ the ser-
vice layer) is ofcrucial importance for economic development, butalso the responsive-
ness of all actors in the transport business to competitive forces and to emerging busi-
ness opportunities: This can be understood ofthe top layerofvirtual networks ofcoop-
erations for improving the logistic performance. For instance, Michel Frybourg and
Peter Nijkamp argue in favor of applying a multi-dimensional evaluation method for
assessing network performance which sufficiently takes into account the different soft-
ware aspects ofnetworks. But also the other articles mentioned in the paragraph above
stress the importance ofthe virtual dimension ofnetworks.
The changing role ofstate interventionism into transport markets, which this sector
has undergone over the last two decades, is clearly reflected in the analyses, not only
as regards institutional aspects ofnetworks but also concerning the inclusion ofprivate
actors in formerly purely public domains, such as infrastructure facility provision and
financing. The reader will find several articles dealing with the inherent problems as
weIl as opportunities of public-private partnerships, such as in the Peter Nijkamp and
Sytze A. Rienstra paper on chances and risks ofinvolving private actors in infrastruc-
ture provision as weIl as inthe DavidBanister, BemardGerardin andlose Viegas paper
on an appropriate allocation ofresponsibilities in transport policy both at the Europe-
an and the urban layer ofdecisionmaking. Ofcourse, a non-negligible role ofthe state
in this area remains intact, in particular for the accompanying "institutional and soft-
ware software" which is labelIed in this volume by the terms of"orgware", "finware"
and "ecoware". But the paradigmatic change in transport economics from formerly
unquestioned and unlimited state interventionism towards increasingly relying on pri-
vate actors, which has taken place since the early 1980s~ leads the authors to conclude
that public policy initiatives should accompany and, hence, encourage private action.
Atthe same time, itbecomes clearthat within the remaining publicsphere, efficien-
cy has to be enhanced, and here, too, the organizational setting will mattera lot. This is
true, for instance, where governments decide on subsidies for transport firms in order
to give incentives to them to provide socially desirable side effects. In this field, the
paperofDanieleFabbrievaluatesdifferenttheoriesofpublictransitsubsidizatioD. With
a view to the changing division oflaborbetween public and private agents in transport,
it seems appropriate, as Fabbri does, to draw a link from traditional welfare economies
approaches towards newer avenues of research which include the application of insti-
tutional economics forbetterunderstandingtheinterfacebetweenprincipals and agents.
Another problemofpublic sectorefficiency is addressedby ALvaro Costa, namely how
to properly measure efficiency inpublicly organizednetworks. Hedemonstrates differ-
ent measurement concepts to evaluate urban public transport service performance by
applying them to a metropolitan network.562 Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv 2000, Vo 1. 136 (3)
Moreover, the conference volume represents the paradigmatic change in transport
eeonomics of the last two decades towards regarding competition in transport now as
the rule rather than the exception. Competition does not solve every problem, but it is
now an inherent part of the game. Moreover, the next venture ofthe competition para-
digm is applied, where co-operation (of single enterprises~ as in strategie alliances, or
between public and private actors in public-private partnerships) both within networks
and in acompetitive setting is understood as a normal feature ofcompetition rather than
as a contradictoryelement. Several authors aim at opening up opportunities ofenhanced
dynamic competition within networks, such as AislingJ. Reynolds-Feighan and Joseph
Berechman, who argue that liberalization of air transport markets, not only in Europe
but world-wide, could provide ample opportunities for network development, e.g., by
the emergence offurther hub-and-spoke systems. Nonetheless, even in liberalizedEuro-
pean airtransport markets a couple ofstill restraining factors - slot constraints as weil
as operatinghourandotherenvironmental regulations - donotpermitunlimitedgrowth.
So again the great impact of the complementary regulatory frameworks on transport
market development is reinforced.
Several articles deal with issues to be found at the borderline between transport and
regional economics, hence emphasizing the elose relationship between these two disci-
plines and the serving role of transport for regional development. The spatial agenda
ranges from a diseussion ofthe active space approach, a concept which tries to reconcile
transport improvements necessary for regional economic development with sustainabil-
ity aspects, (byMarina vanGeenhuizenandRemigioRatti)overusers' behaviouron con-
gested roads and its implications for land-use and infrastructure planning (by Eliahu
Stern, PietH. L Bovy andMart Tacken), and accessibility concepts for regions (by Dino
Martellato, PeterNijko.mp andAura Reggiani who argue that both network alternatives
and utilization oflinks have to be included in any computation ofregional accessibility
measure) to development opportunities ofborder regions by a cross-border integration
ofphysical and institutional infrastructure (by Fabienne Corvers and Maria Giaoutzi).
Finally, the trade-off between transport, integration and environmental protection is
addressed. Odette van de Riet and Patricia Twaaljhoven aim at identifying strategies for
intennodal freight transportwhich might allow to lessen impacts oftransport on the envi-
ranment. PeterNijkamp, Sytze A. Rienstra and Jaap M. Vleugel develop different scenar-
ios of future mobility and conclude that a more sustainable transport system than today
may be hard to obtain unless major changes in societies' preferences and behavior take
place. A new approach towards finding a guideline for a eompromise in this trade-off
space seems to be the attempt of Kenneth Button and Erik T. Verhoefto identify a shad-
ow price ofsustainability in tenns ofnon-realized gains from economic integration.
To conclude: This is a comprehensive volume with abundant information on recent
developments in transport economies. The readerwill gain many new insights fromthis
tour behind the scenes oftransport economics and will find enough food for thought on
the future development of transport networks in Europe.
Claus-Friedrich Laaser
Cobham,David,andGeorgeZis(eds.),From EMS to EMU: 1979to 1999andBeyond.
Basingstoke, Hampshire 1999. Macrnillan Press, St. Martin's Press. X, 294 pp.
This volume is a collection of papers that were presented at a conference held on
January30th, 1999, organized by the Money, Macro and Finance Research Group at the
London Business Schoo!. The study is divided into twelve chapters containing ten
research papers, an introductory chapterby the editors, and a concluding 'epilogue' by
David Cobham. The volume also includescommentaries to the research papersbyinvit-

[Book Review of] Transport networks in Europe : concepts, analysis, and policies, Kenneth Button ... (eds.) : Cheltenham, Elgar, 1998.

http://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/2492/3/32113267X.pdf

[Book Review of] Transport networks in Europe : concepts, analysis, and policies, Kenneth Button ... (eds.) : Cheltenham, Elgar, 1998.

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Research Papers in Economics