The importance of infrastructure for growth is well established in the macroeconomic literature. Previous research has treated public investment in infrastructure as exogenous. We remedy this shortcoming by providing a political economy analysis of infrastructure choice based upon consumer preferences derived from spatial competition models. In this setting, infrastructure investment has two po...

This paper analyses the requirements for rail infrastructure charging, laid down in directive 2001/14/EC. It calls for marginal cost pricing and allows for mark-ups. Four standard pricing principles are analyzed on their suitability for track charging. It is found that no charging system proves superior and that the EC legislation is in line with economic theory. Scrutinizing the tariff systems...

In periods of rapid urbanization, investment in urban infrastructure should not only meet the increasing demands of all urban people, but also be equally allocated between cities to achieve social equity and sustainable development. This paper aimed to conduct quantitative research on the unbalance of urban infrastructure investment between cities in China. The measurement models for inequality...