OECD/ITF Joint Transport Research Centre Discussion Papers

ISSN :
2070-8270 (en ligne)
DOI :
10.1787/20708270
Cacher / Voir l'abstract
The International Transport Forum at the OECD is an intergovernmental organisation with 52 member countries. It acts as a strategic think tank for transport policy and organizes an annual summit of ministers. Our work is underpinned by economic research, statistics collection and policy analysis, often undertaken in collaboration with many of the world's leading research figures in academia, business and government. This series of Discussion Papers is intended to disseminate the International Transport Forum’s research findings rapidly among specialists in the field concerned.
 

The Wider Economic Benefit of Transport

Macro-, Meso and Micro Transport Planning and Investment Tools You or your institution have access to this content

Auteur(s):
OCDE, Forum International des Transports
Date de publication
01 jan 2008
Bibliographic information
No:
2008/06
Pages
16
DOI
10.1787/235472836885

Cacher / Voir l'abstract

This paper summarizes and organizes presentations and discussions of the Round Table on Macro-, meso and micro infrastructure planning and assessment tools, that took place at Boston University, on 25 and 26 October 2007. The goal of the meeting was to investigate how recent research on direct and wider economic impacts of investment in transport infrastructure can be used to improve the practice of transport projects appraisal. While the potential importance of "wider benefits" is clear, it is less obvious that attempts to quantify them should be part of all projects appraisals. Timely availibilty of results of simpler approaches might approve the quality of decision-making just as much. And when wider impacts are part of appraisal, their quantification should follow consistent procedures. Policy-oriented research should focus on these procedures, not on producing general results, as the latter are thought to be irrelevant to policy, to the extent they exist.