Domestic road infrastructure and international trade: Evidence from Turkey

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cosar, A. Kerem; Demir, Banu
• 署名单位: Stockholm School of Economics; Ihsan Dogramaci Bilkent University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2015.10.001
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 232-244
• 关键词: International trade; Market access; Transportation infrastructure; Time-sensitive industries

摘要

Drawing on the large-scale public investment in roads undertaken in Turkey during the 2000s, this paper contributes to our understanding of how internal transportation infrastructure affects regional access to international markets. Using data on international trade of Turkish provinces and the change in the capacity of the roads connecting them to the international gateways of the country, we estimate the distance elasticity of trade associated with roads of varying capacity. Three key results emerge. First, the cost of an average shipment over a high-capacity expressway is about 70% lower than it is over single-lane roads. Second, the present value of a 10-year stream of trade flows generated by a one-dollar investment in road infrastructure ranges between $0.7 and $2. Third, the reduction in transportation costs is greater the more transportation-sensitive an industry is. To the extent that efficient logistics enable countries to take part in global supply chains and exploit their comparative advantages, our findings have important developmental implications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.