Assessing the impact of investment in transport infrastructure on regional development Assessing the impact of investment in transport infrastructure on regional development

The OECD project reported in this paper examined a series of ex-poste case studies to explore the relationship between investment in transport infrastructure and regional development. The key variables considered by the Working Group included those included under traditional benefit-cost analysis, as well as broader socio-economic objectives such as employment, accessibility, social cohesion, etc. Regrettably, there were few examples of ex-ante and ex-poste case studies available to assess whether or not the benefits expected from infrastructure projects were achieved in terms of the initial objectives set for the project. There is a need for research to understand how expected positive impacts can be realised and negative unintended impacts can be avoided (ie. attracting resources to a region and drawing resources away from it). The research was undertaken by an OECD Working Group under the direction of the author while Principal Administrator of the OECD Programme of Research on Road Transport and Intermodal Linkages. 1 This paper is based on research conducted at the OECD, Paris. It was undertaken during my role as Principal Administrator of the Programme of Research on Road Transport and Intermodal Linkages. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics. The usual caveats apply. Contact author Dr Anthony Ockwell Department of Transport and Regional Services GPO Box 594, Canberra ACT 201 Tel: 02-62747004 Email: [email protected]