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Exponential or Power Distance-decay for Commuting? An Alternative Specification

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Author Info
Jacob J. de Vries () (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Peter Nijkamp () (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Piet Rietveld () (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

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Abstract

In this paper we determine the effect of transport cost on commuting flows, on the basis of an analysis of home-to-work journeys between municipalities in Denmark. Special attention is given to a proper estimation method and the form of the distance-decay function. It appears that neither an exponential nor a power distance-decay function fits the data well. The specification of log trips as a (downwards) logistic function of log cost results in a better fit. We find that the cost elasticity of commuting reaches a value of –4 for distances around 24 km, while it is close to 0 for both very short and very long distances. Finally, we demonstrate that the choice of functional form for distance-decay can make an important difference for predictions concerning the effect of infrastructure improvements on commuting flows.

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Paper provided by Tinbergen Institute in its series Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers with number 04-097/3.

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Date of creation: 01 Sep 2004
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Handle: RePEc:dgr:uvatin:20040097

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Related research
Keywords: Spatial Interaction; Distance-decay Function; Commuting; Denmark; Estimation; Heteroscedasticity;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
R15 - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Econometric and Input-Output Models; Other Methods
R23 - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. F J Cesario, 1974. "The interpretation and calculation of gravity model zone-to-zone adjustment factors," Environment and Planning A, Pion Ltd, London, vol. 6(3), pages 247-257, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Chang-i Hua, 1980. "An exploration of the nature and rationale of a systemic model," Environment and Planning A, Pion Ltd, London, vol. 12(6), pages 713-726, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Johansson, Börje & Klaesson, Johan & Olsson, Michael, 2002. "On the non-linearity of the willingness to commute," ERSA conference papers ersa02p476, European Regional Science Association. [Downloadable!]
  4. Poot, Jacques, 1986. "A System Approach to Modelling the Inter-urban Exchange of Workers in New Zealand," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 33(3), pages 249-74, August.
  5. A G Wilson, 1971. "A family of spatial interaction models, and associated developments," Environment and Planning A, Pion Ltd, London, vol. 3(1), pages 1-32, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Jordan Marvakov & Thomas Y. Mathä, 2007. "An analysis of regional commuting flows in the European Union," BCL working papers 28, Central Bank of Luxembourg. [Downloadable!]
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