La politique des transports suit-elle les recommandations des économistes ?

Abstract

The design of rail infrastructure investment programs has generated the emergence of a dedicated field in economic research. Relations between decision-makers and economists have gone through several stages : some economists shaped a doctrine that imposed itself among decision-makers, the authorities internalized this doctrine by creating dedicated research institutes and codified processes, then, in a more recent period, got rid of these institutes and processes. Ties now appear to be broken. However, in the long run, examples show that adjustment mechanisms exist and that decision-makers can be forced to follow the guidelines of those economists they had previously disregarded. This adjustment will be all the more efficient if ties have been maintained in order to resist the temptation of mutual disdain and to improve mutual understanding.

Keywords

• transports policy
• railways regulation
• industrial organization