Spatial spillovers of transporte infrastructure

Abstract

Spillover effects are understood as the benefits received by a region due to transport infrastructure built in another region. These effects have traditionally been analyzed with econometric techniques such as production functions, but some major criticism are pointed out to the use of such methodologies. This doctoral thesis proposes a new methodology that improves the measurement of spillover effects of transport infrastructure, based on accessibility indicators and the use of geographic information systems. The methodology has been tested with different transport policies, namely the construction of new infrastructure (either at national or transnational scale) or the pricing of the existing ones. In all cases it is clear that any actions carried on a region’s transport system generate effects in other regions. The methodology is a useful tool to understand the real beneficiaries of transport investments. The results have shown that sometimes the investments planned for a region is overestimated, because is diverted to other regions in form of spillovers. Spillovers are also analyzed from the standpoint of territorial cohesion. It is important to determine whether the spillovers are directed away from the less developed/peripheral regions to the more developed/central regions or vice versa. For transport infrastructure, such as the trans-European transport networks (TENT), the spillover methodology can be useful for assessing the European added value (EAV) of projects. The EAV is defined as the contribution of transport policies to the objectives of territorial integration and cohesion established by the European Union. Projects which generate high spillovers (benefits recorded in countries outside the project) will have a greater EAV as they contribute to improving international links and thereby to the consolidation of the single market.