This article tests the role of traffic fines as predictors of crashes suffered by Powered-Two-Wheeler (PTW) riders in Barcelona, the city with the highest number of PTWs per inhabitant in Europe. Results show that traffic fines can work as predictors of road crashes, although not all sanctions have the same importance. Penalties associated with serious offences as running red lights or alcohol violations, are strongly correlated with the number of accidents. Thus, we argue governments are losing a valuable opportunity when using traffic fines only for punitive objectives. Traffic fines offer rich information already collected that can easily serve to identify road users at risk. This result have direct implications on the design of safety campaigns
Interest in public accountability and government transparency is increasing worldwide. The literature on the determinants of transparency is evolving but is still in its early stages. So far, it has typically focused on national or regional governments while neglecting the local government level. This paper builds on the scarce knowledge available in order to examine the economic, social, and institutional determinants of local government transparency in Spain. We draw on a 2010 survey and the transparency indexes constructed by the NGO Transparency International (Spain) in order to move beyond the fiscal transparency addressed in previous work. In so doing, we broaden the analysis of transparency to the corporate, social, fiscal, contracting, and planning activities of governments. Our results on overall transparency indicate that large municipalities and left-wing local government leaders are associated with better transparency indexes; while the worst results are presented by provincial capitals, cities where tourist activity is particularly important and local governments that enjoy an absolute majority. The analysis of other transparency categories generally shows the consistent impact of these determinants and the need to consider a wider set of variables to capture their effect.
Road safety has become an increasing concern in developed countries due to the significant amount of fatalities and the associated economic losses. Only in 2005 these losses rose to 200,000 million euros, a considerable sum ¿ approximately 2% of GDP ¿ that easily justifies any public intervention. One measure taken by governments to address this issue is to enact stricter policies and regulations. Since drunk driving is one of the greatest concerns among public authorities in this field, several European countries have lowered their illegal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) levels to 0.5 mg/ml during the last decade. This study is the first evaluation of the effectiveness of this transition using European panel-based data (CARE) for the period 1991-2003 with the differences-in-differences method in a fixed effects estimation that allows for any pattern of correlation (Cluster-Robust). The results reveal a positive impact on certain groups of road users and on the whole population when the policy is accompanied by enforcement interventions. Moreover, positive results appeared after a time lag of over two years. Finally, I state the importance of controlling for serial correlation in the evaluation of this type of policy. ; - La seguridad vial se ha convertido en una creciente preocupación en el mundo desarrollado por el gran número de víctimas mortales sufridas y por las pérdidas económicas que se derivan de ella. En el año 2005 éstas ascendieron a 200.000 millones de euros, una cantidad que supone el 2% del PIB europeo y que justifica la existencia de intervención pública. Los gobiernos se enfrentan a este reto fijando leyes y normativas más estrictas, especialmente en la lucha contra la conducción bajo los efectos del alcohol. La mayoría de países europeos decidieron a lo largo de la última década rebajar el nivel de alcohol en sangre permitido hasta 0.5 mg/ml. Este trabajo evalúa por primera vez la eficacia de esta transición usando un panel de datos europeo (CARE) mediante el método de Diferencias en Diferencias y efectos fijos permitiendo cualquier patrón de correlación (Cluster-Robust). Los resultados muestran la existencia de un impacto positivo sobre ciertos grupos, mientras que la efectividad sobre el conjunto de usuarios solo se consigue donde la reducción en el nivel de alcohol en sangre se acompaña de medidas que fuerzan su cumplimiento. Además, el trabajo encuentra un retardo superior a dos años en dicha eficacia. Finalmente, también se destaca la importancia de controlar por la autocorrelación, habitualmente olvidada en la evaluación de esta política.
In 2010 the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 64/255 declaring 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety with the main goal of stabilizing and then reducing the level of road traffic fatalities (United Nations, 2010). Support for this action from the world's governments reflects the growing awareness that road traffic accidents and fatalities constitute a global public health problem. In short, the fact that 1.24 million people lost their lives on the roads in 2010 (World Health Organization [WHO], 2013a) and that traffic injuries were the eighth leading cause of death globally (Lozano et al., 2012) can no longer be overlooked.
Road safety is a global health problem and its severity in developing countries highlights the need for research to address its causes. We explore the effect of institutional variables on road safety, redressing the literature's failure to consider political institutions as road safety determinants. Specifically, we analyze the effect on traffic accidents and fatalities of different political regimes, electoral rules and forms of government and we control for other factors. By drawing on an international sample of countries taken over a long time-span, we find that democratic institutions are associated with better road safety. The beneficial effects of democratization become apparent after about four years in countries undergoing a regime transition and are also discernible in established democracies that are consolidating their political institutions. Finally, our results suggest that road safety can be characterized as a local public good and that its provision is greater in parliamentary systems.
Car ownership is a major driver of household travel behavior and has a marked impact on transport demand, energy consumption, emission levels and land use. However, just how curbside parking regulations (i.e. paid parking) affects car ownership remains unclear. Here, we employ a two-way fixed effect model using panel data and difference-in-differences estimations to determine the causal impact of changes in parking regulations and the specific impact of the extension of a city-wide parking policy in Barcelona. Our results suggest that the introduction of paid parking to reduce non-resident/visitor demand has a positive impact on resident car ownership levels. Our welfare analysis suggests that the welfare loss derived from the residents' parking subsidy and their likely increase in car usage can easily offset the benefits derived from visitor-trip deterrence. This being the case, the tradeoff between efficiency and acceptability requires careful consideration.
This paper uses stochastic frontier analyses to estimate the cost efficiency of toll motorway companies in Spain, disentangling between two types of efficiency: persistent efficiency, related to project building and sunk costs, and transient efficiency, more closely related to management efficiency. The differences between the two sources of efficiency are significant, allowing us to test how different regulations impact performance. We find that regional governments grant more efficient projects than those granted by central government, but we do not find significant differences in performance in relation to the public/private ownership share, following the privatization of publicly owned concessionaires or due to changes in price updating regulations (price cap). The motorways nationalized in the 1980s had lower persistent efficiency levels, while management seems to have had a limited role in promoting efficiency gains. Furthermore, our results support the existence of scale and density economies in Spain, showing that an increase in vehicle-kilometers is more important than extending the motorway.
This paper empirically investigates the causal relationship between local government transparency and political corruption in a sample of Spain's 110 largest municipalities. After implementing a two-stage probit estimation procedure, our evidence indicates that transparency is inversely related to the likelihood of local political corruption. This result supports the hypothesis that a lack of transparency conceals corrupt activities and that an unwillingness to provide information is a good proxy of the likelihood of corruption
Empirical evidence on remunicipalization remains scarce, and even more so as regards potential differences in the roles played by politicians and bureaucrats in service delivery reform. We use information obtained from a survey of Spanish municipalities to investigate differences in the service delivery preferences of politicians and technical staff, as well as differences in their respective propensities to reform. The results we obtain suggest that bureaucrats have both a stronger preference for private participation in service delivery and for reforming services than do politicians.
Several countries have experienced lengthy periods of political deadlock in recent years, as they have sought to form a new government. This study examines whether government formation deadlocks damage a country's economy. To do so, we analyze the case of Belgium, which took a record 541 days to create a post-election government, following the June 2010 federal elections. Employing the synthetic control method, our results show that the Belgium's economy did not suffer an economic toll; on the contrary, Gross Domestic Product per capita growth was higher than would have otherwise been expected. As such, our evidence contradicts frequent claims that long periods of government formation deadlock negatively affect an economy
Several countries have experienced lengthy periods of political deadlock in recent years, as they have sought to form a new government. This study examines whether government formation deadlocks damagea country's economy. To do so, we analyze the case of Belgium, which took a record 541 days to create a post-election government, following the June 2010 federal elections. Employing the synthetic control method, our results show that the Belgian economy did not suffer an economic toll; on the contrary, GDP per capita growth was higher than would have otherwise been expected. As such, our evidence contradicts frequent claims that long periods of government formation deadlock negatively affect an economy.
The regulation of speed limits in the US had been centralized at the federal level since 1974, until decisions were devolved to the states in 1995. However, the centralization debate has reemerged in recent years. Here, we conduct the first econometric analysis of the determinants of speed limit laws. By using economic, geographic and political variables, our results suggest that geography -which affects private mobility needs and preferences- is the main factor influencing speed limit laws. We also highlight the role played by political ideology, with Republican constituencies being associated with higher speed limits. Furthermore, we identify the presence of regional and time dependence effects. By contrast, poor road safety outcomes do not impede the enactment of high speed limits. Overall, we present the first evidence of the role played by geographical, ideological and regional characteristics, which provide us with a better understanding of the formulation of speed limit policies.
In April 2009, the US government unveiled its blueprint for a national network of high-speed passenger rail (HSR) lines aimed at reducing traffic congestion, cutting national dependence on foreign oil and improving rural and urban environments. In implementing such a program, it is essential to identify the factors that might influence decision making and the eventual success of the HSR project, as well as foreseeing the obstacles that will have to be overcome.
The paper analyses the link between human capital and regional economic growth in the European Union. Using different indicat The importance of effective and efficient mobility in large cities is becoming essential for planners and citizens due to its impact in terms of social, economic and geographic development. The aim of this research is to determine factors explaining urban transport systems by estimating aggregate supply and demand equations for 45 large European cities. Supply and Demand equations are separately and jointly determined using OLS and SUR estimation models. On one hand, our findings suggest the importance of economic variables on the supply of public transport. On the other, we highlight the role of those factors influencing the generalized cost of transport as main drivers of demand for public transit. Additionally, regional variables are introduced to capture institutional heterogeneity in this service, and we find that regional patterns are powerful explanatory determinants of urban transportation systems in Europe.
This paper examines an active and personalized job search program led by private entities called Feina amb Cor, which started in Barcelona in 2013 as an alternative to government-led employment services. The program aimed at helping long-term unemployed under high exclusion risk to find a job. Our findings, based on data obtained from subsequent interviews to participants before and after passing through the six-month program, suggest that changes in the job search technology seem to contribute to the high employability rate among participants. Also, we find some evidence about their improved well-being due to the program, what may have boosted their employment prospects. However, the program seems to offer jobs of short duration and working hours, what is consistent with the literature evaluating these kinds of programs. Thus, the paper offers new insights on the potential success of programs in order to contribute to the necessary debate about the role and design of job search services run by governments in Spain.
