Policy Implications of Dynamic Globalized Freight Flows in North America

This paper describes how the scope of transport and the transactions costs that facilitate and enable trade are a reflection of the existing technology and institutional infrastructure that support the international trading system, which is seen to be mutually beneficial to both buyer and seller. The theory of these costs and benefits was seemingly well understood in the comparative advantage era of trade of the early and mid-twentieth century. However, recent forces have driven a renewed and dynamically changing interest in international trade, and these developments have obscured this understanding and have, indeed, driven the development of alternative theory. Global trade policy negotiations over the last 15 years, from the United States (US) perspective, have centered on the so-called “Washington Consensus” items, now taken as synonymous with globalization. There have been a number of critiques of what was seen as policy agenda that suggest that the component of the Washington Consensus were never intended to be a policy agenda. It comprises suggestions for the management of trading partner economies that include fiscal discipline and redirection of public expenditure priorities toward fields offering both high economic returns and the potential to improve income distribution such as primary health care, primary education, and infrastructure and a host of other potential targets such as tax reform (to lower marginal rates and broaden the tax base), interest rate liberalization, competitive exchange rates, trade liberalization (reducing trade barriers using tariffs, quotas, and non-tariff barriers), liberalization of inflows of foreign direct investment, privatization, deregulation (to abolish barriers to entry and exit) and securing property rights.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.e-elgar-environment.com/Bookentry_Main.lasso?id=3927
• Corporate Authors:

  Edward Elgar Publishers

  William Pratt House, 9 Dewey Court
  Northampton, MA  United States  01060-3815
• Authors:
  • Maggio, Mark
  • Stough, Roger R
• Publication Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 238-257
• Monograph Title: Globalized Freight Transport: Intermodality, E-Commerce, Logistics and Sustainability

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barriers to entry (Competition); Deregulation; Freight traffic; Freight transportation; Globalization; International trade; Policy; Policy making; Privatization; Tariffs; Urban goods movement
• Geographic Terms: North America
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Railroads; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01051454
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 978184542502p
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 14 2007 3:14PM