Institutional Analysis On Transport Policy Change

Transport policy, as one of the main research fields among transport economists andscholars on public policy, hasn't been systematically studied in the theoretical lay.Therefore, systematic study on transport policy can not only contribute to the theory oftransport policy, but also be significant theoretically and practically to the establishmentof future transport policy in China.The dissertation researches deeply the theoretical basis of transport policy, phases ofthe transport policy change, the demand and support factors of transport policy change inthe institutional analytical method; establishes an institutional analysis framework oftransport policy change, which is been divided into two levels—establishment andimplement of transport policy; researches positively on transport policy change in theUnited States of America and in the European Union, to summarize the causes and rulesof transport policy change; and brings forward some advice to the establishment of futuretransport policy in China.The main innovative achievements of the dissertation are follows:1. Transport policy is the formal institutional arrangement supplied by thegovernment, the process of establishment and implement of which is affected not only bythe government cost restriction, but also by the political pressures by the interest groups.2. The process of transport policy change experiences three phases: the phase ofenlarging capacity, regulating structure, promoting sustainable transport; which phase onecountry locates is not only related to the transport phase, but to the political rules andsocial notion.3. The demand factors affecting transport policy change comprise the price ofrelated products and goods, transport technology and market scale, value notion; thesupply ones comprise the cost of establishing transport policy, related knowledge, theexpected cost of implementing transport policy, constitutional rules, normative behavior rules, the net income of the decision-makers; transport policy is exactly the response tonon-equilibrium engendered by the factors' changes.4. The institutional framework of transport policy change can well expound thecause and law of transport policy change: the establishment of transport policy areaffected by the status of transport, the characters of exterior resource and environment,political rules and informal institution; along with the gradually implementing oftransport policy, the status of transport and the powers of related interested groups,political rules, informal institution will change, which will induce transport policychange.5. Transport policy change can be classified three types: enlarging transport capacity,allocating economic benefit, allocating social welfare.6. Transport policy change in the United States of America experiences three phases:enlarging capacity, regulating structure, promoting sustainable transport; in the process,the change of the status of transport, the characters of exterior resource and environmentare the direct inducement of transport policy change; political institution and transportorganizational institution decide the difficult or easy change; society notion and ideologyadvocating liberty affect the direction of the change.7. Transport policy change in the European union experiences three phases:stagnancy, speediness and maturity; and its objective changes from removing transportobstacles between the frontiers in the first, launching trans-European networks toestablish single market, to promoting sustainable transport in the end; in the process, thechange of status of transportation, the characters of exterior resource and environment,the EU's integration engender the demand to transport policy change; EU's political rulesand organizational institution decide the process of transport policy change; social notionregarding safety and environment, political notion of the member's countries lead thedirection of transport policy change.8. Transport policy change in China is mainly sponsored and dominated by thegovernment. Transport, though highly emphasized by the government, is faced with many problems, such as scarce capacity, unreasonable structure, inadequate cooperationbetween transport modes. Considering that the transport should be developed in largescale in the future, the dissertation puts forward some advice: strengthening the reform inpolitical fields to enhance the scientificity and feasibility of transport policy; reformingtransport organizational institution to create the subject of establishing transport policy;setting transport policy to realize sustainable transport.