May 27, 2011 - Mar 31, 2013
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In this project, we are aiming at developing and empirical frameworks with which we can derive practical policy implications for development of transportation networks covering all the available modes. Goods and information transaction are conducted in several layers. While our globalized economy presumes an instantaneous communication via internet, surface shipping takes much time and air freight service is chosen by time-conscious customers. Highways and railroads are running across a country for an enormous amount of domestic freight services. These layers are closely inter-related. Externalities and economies of scale prohibit us from accurately evaluating impacts of policies for such transportation networks with any partial equilibrium framework. We employ general equilibrium frameworks to examine interactions among links in a network and ones between transportation sectors and industrial locations as well as effects of communications on the network.