TRANSPORT ECONOMICS & INNOVATION
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Bibliography
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
Good knowledge of microeconomics fundamentals.
The final evaluation is composed by two elements: a) written examination; b) student individual work and class participation.
a) The written examination (duration: 1 hour) is structured in three open questions on a choice of 4. It is possible to held it in two steps (in the middle on the first part of the programme and at the end of the course on the second part) or in one step on the whole programme in the exam sessions. Only students that have achieved a positive mark (minimum 18/30) in the middle exam can access to final exam; the final mark will be the average between the marks of the middle and final exams.
b) Students attending classes are invited to choose a paper to be presented and discussed in class-room and to discuss the papers of the other students. This individual work and the class participation are evaluated with a mark on a range 18-30, according to 4 indicators: a) power point organization and contents; b) oral presentation; c) capacity to critical discuss the paper; d) ability to discuss the papers of the other colleagues.
The final grade is a weighted average of the written exam mark (80%) and the individual work and class participation mark (20%).
The students attending the lab hours, making the exercitation on CBA methodology, will gain 1-2 points extra added to final mark.
For students that could not attend the classes, the evaluation will be based only on the written examination (based on 3 questions).
The course will provide students with a solid grounding in the economics of the
transportation sector, covering the key principles governing transportation planning, investment and regulation and understanding how innovation affects transport and mobility.
Students should obtain basic skills in the analysis of travel demand and supply and of transportation system benefits. Students should also be able to understand the different internal and external components of transport costs, the basic pricing principles, the technological innovations and how these factors affect the market for transportation infrastructure and services and, consequently, the other industries. Finally, students should be able to apply these concepts to analyse transportation investment decisions and public regulation policies.
Main course objectives:
- Understanding of the importance of transport for the economic development and of the relevance of innovation for mobility issues
- Understanding of special issues related to transport industries
- Provide theoretical and methodological basis to understand issues related to mobility in the globalization process and to firm innovation strategies in transport and logistics planning.
- Apply economic knowledge to specific transport and mobility problem.
Introduction to transport economics: basic definitions, growing importance of the role of transport for the economic development and globalisation and the main specific features of transport economics (4 h)
The demand for transport: consumer utility and the passenger and freight transport demand function, the notion of generalised transport cost index and the determinants of the demand for transport services (price, trip purpose, income levels, etc.) (5-6 h)
The transport supply and direct costs: transport industry organisation, application of the firm economic theory to transport services’ production, fixed and variables costs, economics of scale, scope and density, etc. (3-4 h)
Transport and sustainable development: the externalities of transport, the economic cost of congestion, policies and measures for transport sustainability (6 h)
Transport and logistics: the adoption of transport economic principles within a larger supply-chain concept (evolution of logistics and SCM, aim and strategies of the logistics system) (4 h)
Market structure and pricing of transport services: determinants and prevalent market structures, different types and forms of pricing determination (marginal cost pricing, price differentiation and discrimination, the peak problem, etc.) (3 h)
Public regulation of transport markets: theory of market regulation applied to transport industries (3 h)
Transport infrastructure and economic development: the importance of infrastructure, private and public investments in the economic development (5 h)
Innovation and transport: definition of innovation, technological changes in transport, influence of firm size and market structure on innovation, drivers, barriers and policies for stimulating innovation (6 h)
The Lab hours (9 hours) will be focused on CBA (Cost-Benefit Analysis) methodology for transport infrastructure planning.
Note: Variations to the duration of each topic may be expected
Main book: Button K., Transport Economics, 3rd edition, Edward Elgar, 2010, all the chapters except ch. 12.
Other recommended books:
Quinet E., Vickerman R., Principles of Transport Economics, Edward Elgar, 2004
Button K., Vega H., Nijkamp P., A Dictionary of Transport Analysis, Edward Elgar, 2010.
The reading material, the slides and other teaching material will be available on the web learning platform (http://elearning3.uninsubria.it/).
In-class lectures, discussion on students' presentations on various topics; lab on CBA and seminars.
Office hours
One hour a week on appointment