Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transport in regional science: The “death of distance” is premature

  • Chapter
Fifty Years of Regional Science

Part of the book series: Advances in Spatial Science ((ADVSPATIAL))

Abstract

Transport costs have always been an important dimension in regional science. It is therefore remarkable that regional science and transport economics have developed in a rather unconnected way. Although being distinct, the routes of the two were parallel, and there are signs that the two fields will get closer to each other. This paper further discusses long run trends in transport costs and the potential spatial consequences. The main conclusion is that although in terms of money and time, the performance of transport has improved enormously, many economic activities have not become footloose to the extent as expressed by the notion of ‘death of distance’. One of the reasons discussed is the role of transaction costs, some being clearly related with distance.

The authors thank the guest-editors and an anonymous referee for helpful comments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Alonso W (1964) Location and land use. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Anselin L (1988) Spatial econometrics. Kluwer, Dordrecht

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Amott R, de Palma A, Lindsey R (1993) A structural model of peak-period congestion: A traffic bottleneck with elastic demand. American Economic Review 83: 161–179

    Google Scholar 

  • Arrow K, Debreu G (1954) Existence of an equilibrium for a competitive economy. Econometrica 22: 265–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bairoch P (1990) The impact of crop yields, agricultural productivity and transport costs on urban growth between 1800 and 1910. In: van der Woude AD, Hayami A, de Vries J (eds) Urbanization in history. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Berechman J, Kohno H, Button K, Nijkamp P (1996) Transport and land use. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham

    Google Scholar 

  • Button K, Hensher D (various) Handbooks in transport. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Cairncross F (1997) The death of distance. Harvard Business School Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Clemens MA, Williamson FG (2001) A traffic-growth paradox? Protection’s impact around the world 1875–1997. NBER Working paper, no. 8459

    Google Scholar 

  • Cliff A, Ord JK (1973) Spatial autocorrelation. Pion, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Crafts N, Venables AJ (2001) Globalization in history: A geographical perspective. Paper prepared for the NBER conference on “Globalization in historical perspective”

    Google Scholar 

  • DETR (1999) Sustainable distribution: A strategy. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, London

    Google Scholar 

  • DETR (2000) Transport statistics bulletin: National travel survey 1997/99 (update). Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Dollar D (2001) Globalization, inequality and poverty since 1980 (mimeo). World Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2001), European transport policy for 2010: Time to decide. Office for Official Publications, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Fujita M, Krugman P, Venables A (1999) The spatial economy MIT Press, Michigan

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukuyama F (1995) The social virtues and the creation of prosperity. Penguin, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Harley CK (1988) Ocean freight rates and productivity 1740–1913 : The primacy of mechanical invention reaffirmed. Journal of Economic History 60: 819–841

    Google Scholar 

  • Helliwell JF (1996) Do national borders matter for Quebec’s trade? Canadian Journal of Economics 29: 509–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch WZ (1959) An application of area input-output analysis. Papers and Proceedings of the Regional Science Association 5: 79–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houtum H van (1998) The development of cross-border economic relations. Ph.D. dissertation. Tilburg University, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Hummels D (2001) Time as a trade barrier (mimeo) Purdue University

    Google Scholar 

  • Isard W (1951) Distance inputs and the space economy: The locational equilibrium of the firm. Quarterly Journal of Economics 65: 373–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isard W, Ostroff DJ (1958) Existence of competitive interregional equilibrium Papers and Proceedings of the Regional Science Association 4: 49–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isserlis L (1938) Tramp shipping cargoes and freights. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 101: 53–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koopmans TC (ed) (1951) Activity analysis of production and allocation. Wiley, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Krugman P (1991) Geography and trade. MIT Press, Michigan

    Google Scholar 

  • Krugman P (1998) Space: The final frontier. Journal of Economic Perspectives 12: 161–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn HW, Tucker AW (1950) Non linear programming. In: Neyman J (ed) Proceedings of the second Berkeley symposium on mathematical statistics and probability. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Leontief WW (1941,1951) The structure of the American economy. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lefeber L (1958) Allocation in space. North Holland, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Maddison A (2001) The world economy: A millennial perspective. OECD

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Linders GJ, Groot H de, Rietveld P, Subramanian U (2003) Institutional determinants of international trade. Discussion paper. Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • McCallum JCP (1995) National borders matter. American Economic Review 85: 615–623

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall A (1920) Industry and trade. Macmillan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • McCann P (1995) The locations of industries: A logistics costs approach. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohring H (1976) Transportation economics. Ballinger, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Moses LN (1958) Location and the theory of production. Quarterly Journal of Economics 78: 259–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MuConsult (2001) De remmen los: Historisch analyse van de prijs/prestatieverhouding in het vervoer. Amersfoort, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Office for National Statistics (ONS) (1997) Travel trends: A report on the 1996 international passenger survey. The Stationery Office, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Ommeren J van (2000) Commuting and relocation of jobs and residences. Ashgate, Aldershot

    Google Scholar 

  • Predöhl A (1928) The theory of location in its relation to general economics. Quarterly Journal of Economics 36: 371–390

    Google Scholar 

  • Rietveld P, Zwart B, van Wee B, van den Hoorn T (1999) On the relationship between travel time and travel distance of commuters: Reported versus network travel data in the Netherlands. Annals of Regional Science 33: 269–288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rietveld P (2001) Obstacles to openness of border regions in Europe. In: van Geenhuizen M, Ratti R (eds) Gaining advantage from open borders. Ashgate, Aldershot

    Google Scholar 

  • REDEFINE (1999) RElationship between DEmand for Freight transport and INdustrial Effects. Final Report, European Commission 4th Framework RTD Project

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodwin L (1959) Regional science: Quo vadis? Papers and proceedings of the Regional Science Association 5: 3–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment (SACTRA) (1999) Transport and the Economy. HMSO, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Subramanian U, Arnold J (2001) Forging subregional links in transportation and logistics in South Asia. The World Bank, Washington

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Takayama T (1996) Thirty years with spatial and intertemporal economics. In: van den Bergh J et al. (eds) Recent advances in spatial equilibrium modelling. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Venables AJ (1996) Equilibrium locations of vertically linked industries. International Economic Review 37: 341–359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vickerman R, Spiekermann K, Wegener M (1999) Accessibility and economic development in Europe. Regional Studies 33: 1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters AA (1961) The theory and measurement of the costs of congestion. Econometrica 29: 676–699

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westlund H (1999) An interaction-cost perspective on networks and territory. The Annals of Regional Science 33: 93–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Spatial Economics, Free University, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Piet Rietveld

  2. University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NP, UK

    Roger Vickerman

Authors
  1. Piet Rietveld
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Roger Vickerman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Raymond J. G. M. Florax

  2. Department of Spatial Economics, Free University, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Raymond J. G. M. Florax

  3. Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona, Harvill Building, Box 2, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA

    David A. Plane

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rietveld, P., Vickerman, R. (2004). Transport in regional science: The “death of distance” is premature. In: Florax, R.J.G.M., Plane, D.A. (eds) Fifty Years of Regional Science. Advances in Spatial Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-07223-3_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-07223-3_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-06111-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-07223-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation