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Political Preferences and Transport Infrastructure: Evidence from California’s High-Speed Rail

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  • Fajgelbaum, Pablo PhD
  • Gaubert, Cecile PhD
  • Gorton, Nicole
  • Morales, Eduardo
  • Schaal, Edouard

Abstract

We study how political preferences shaped California’s High-Speed Rail (CHSR), a largetransportation project approved by referendum in 2008. Voters’ support responded significantly to the projected economic gains in their tract of residence, as measured by a quantitative model of high-speed rail matched to CHSR plans. Given this response, a revealed-preference approach comparing the proposed network with alternative designs identifies strong planner’s preferences for political support. The optimal politically-blind design would have placed the stations nearer to California’s dense metro areas, where it was harder to sway votes, thus increasing the projected economic gains.

Suggested Citation

  • Fajgelbaum, Pablo PhD & Gaubert, Cecile PhD & Gorton, Nicole & Morales, Eduardo & Schaal, Edouard, 2024. "Political Preferences and Transport Infrastructure: Evidence from California’s High-Speed Rail," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt5zh3s8nv, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt5zh3s8nv
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    References listed on IDEAS

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