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Infrastructure, competition regimes, and air transport costs: cross-country evidence

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  • Micco, Alejandro
  • Serebrisky, Tomas

Abstract

The relevance of transport costs has increased as liberalization continues to reduce artificial barriers to trade. Countries need to adopt policies to get closer to global markets. Can improvements in infrastructure and regulation reduce transport costs? Is it worthwhile to implement policies designed to increase competition in transport markets? Focusing on air transport, which has increased its share in US imports from 24 percent in 1990 to 35 percent in 2000, this paper quantifies the effects of infrastructure, regulatory quality and liberalization of air cargo markets on transport costs. During the 1990s, the United States implemented a series of Open Skies Agreements, providing a unique opportunity to assess the effect that a change in the competition regime has on prices. We find that infrastructure, quality of regulation and competition matter. In our sample, an improvement in airport infrastructure from the 25th to 75th percentiles reduces air transport costs by 15 percent. A similar improvement in the quality of regulation reduces air transport costs by 14 percent. Open Skies Agreements further reduce air transport costs by 8 percent.

Suggested Citation

  • Micco, Alejandro & Serebrisky, Tomas, 2004. "Infrastructure, competition regimes, and air transport costs: cross-country evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3355, The World Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:3355
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    Cited by:

    1. Bianka Dettmer & Andreas Freytag & Peter Draper, 2013. "Check-in, departure and arrival times: Air cargo in Southern Africa?," Jena Economics Research Papers 2013-018, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    2. Benjamin Bridgman, 2008. "Energy Prices and the Expansion of World Trade," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(4), pages 904-916, October.
    3. Ana María Herrera & Eduardo Lora, 2005. "Why So Small? Explaining the Size of Firms in Latin America," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(7), pages 1005-1028, July.
    4. Gordon Wilmsmeier & Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso, 2009. "Determinants of maritime transport costs -- a panel data analysis for Latin American trade," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 105-121, October.
    5. FOTIA Alexandru & TECLEAN Cezar, 2018. "The Impact of Intermodal Connectivity of Transport Networks on Net Exports in the European Union Member States," European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Bucharest Economic Academy, issue 01, March.
    6. Wessel, Jan, 2019. "Evaluating the transport-mode-specific trade effects of different transport infrastructure types," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 42-57.
    7. World Bank, 2006. "Is There a New Vision for Maghreb Economic Integation? Volume 2. Annex," World Bank Publications - Reports 19624, The World Bank Group.
    8. Laura Márquez-Ramos & Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso & Eva Pérez-García & Gordon Wilmsmeier, 2011. "“Special Issue on Latin-American Research” Maritime Networks, Services Structure and Maritime Trade," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 555-576, September.
    9. Thomas Gries & Wim Naudé & Marianne Matthee, 2009. "The Optimal Distance To Port For Exporting Firms," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 513-528, August.
    10. Dettmer, Bianka & Freytag, Andreas & Draper, Peter, 2014. "Air Cargo beyond Trade Barriers in Africa," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 29, pages 95-138.
    11. Luisa Alamá Sabater & Laura Marquez Ramos & Celestino Suarez Burguet, 2011. "Regional Trade and Logistics Infrastructure: A Spatial Approach," ERSA conference papers ersa11p1737, European Regional Science Association.
    12. Geloso Grosso, Massimo & Shepherd, Ben, 2011. "Air cargo transport in APEC: Regulation and effects on merchandise trade," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 203-212, June.
    13. Christophe Gouel & Nina Kousnetzoff & Hassan Salman, 2008. "Commerce international et transports : tendances du passe et prospective 2020," Working Papers 2008-28, CEPII research center.
    14. Luisa Alamá-Sabater & Laura Márquez-Ramos & Celestino Suárez-Burguet & J. Miguel Navarro-Azorín, 2012. "Interregional Trade and Transport Connectivity. An Analysis of Spatial Dependence," Working Papers 2012/20, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    15. Tchouamou Njoya, Eric, 2020. "An analysis of the tourism and wider economic impacts of price-reducing reforms in air transport services in Egypt," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    16. Boštjan Kovačič & Damjan Doler & Drago Sever, 2021. "Innovative Business Model for the Management of Airports in Purpose to Identify Runway Damage in Time," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    17. Ikumo Isono, 2011. "Economic Integration and the Expansion of Trade and Transport Networks," Chapters, in: Masahisa Fujita & Ikuo Kuroiwa & Satoru Kumagai (ed.), The Economics of East Asian Integration, chapter 13, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    18. Huang, Rocco R., 2007. "Distance and trade: Disentangling unfamiliarity effects and transport cost effects," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 161-181, January.
    19. Boštjan Kovačič & Damjan Doler & Drago Sever, 2021. "The Innovative Model of Runway Sustainable Management on Smaller Regional Airports," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    20. Anushka Wijesinha & Deshal de Mel, 2012. "Liberalization of Air Services in South Asia: Prospects and Challenges," Chapters, in: Sultan Hafeez Rahman & Sridhar Khatri & Hans-Peter Brunner (ed.), Regional Integration and Economic Development in South Asia, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    21. Bensassi, Sami & Márquez-Ramos, Laura & Martínez-Zarzoso, Inmaculada & Suárez-Burguet, Celestino, 2015. "Relationship between logistics infrastructure and trade: Evidence from Spanish regional exports," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 47-61.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Transport Economics Policy&Planning; Transport and Trade Logistics; Economic Theory&Research; Decentralization; Common Carriers Industry; Airports and Air Services; Common Carriers Industry; Transport and Trade Logistics; Economic Theory&Research; Transport Economics Policy&Planning;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F4 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance
    • L4 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies
    • L9 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities

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