Transportation Economics in the 21st Century - Research Projects
The initiative supports projects focused on four distinct topic areas: (1) Transportation and the Economy; (2) New Transportation Technologies and Initiatives; (3) Transportation and the Human Experience; and (4) Transportation Data and Research Infrastructure.
An initial call for research proposals was broadly disseminated in October 2019. It resulted in more than 50 submissions, from which the investigators selected six projects for funding in the 2019-20 academic year. The selection process focused on the intrinsic quality and interest of the projects, and was carried out in consultation with staff members at the Department of Transportation. The funded projects, all of which relate to the Department’s current research needs, are:
Traffic in the City: The Impact of Infrastructure Improvements in the Presence of Endogenous Traffic Congestion
Investigators: Treb Allen, Dartmouth and NBER and Costas Arkolakis, Yale and NBER
Mobility and Congestion in US Cities: Evidence from Google Maps
Investigators: Gilles Duranton, U. Pennsylvania and NBER, Adam Storeygard, Tufts and NBER; Victor Couture, University of California, Berkeley
How is Ride-Hailing Affecting Public Transportation?
Investigators: Marco Gonzalez-Navarro, University of California, Berkeley, and Jonathan Hall, University of Toronto
Effects of Pavement Maintenance on Traffic Outcomes: Evidence from California
Investigator: Bradley Humphreys, West Virginia University
Dynamic Transportation Markets in the Digital Economy: Matching Efficiency and the Value of Time
Investigators: Jakub Kastl, Princeton University and NBER; Nicholas Buchholz, Princeton University; Tobias Salz, MIT and NBER, Laura Doval, California Institute of Technology
Does the US Have an Infrastructure Cost Problem? Evidence from the Interstate Highway System
Investigators: Neil Mehrota, Brown University, and Matthew Turner, Brown University and NBER
A second call for proposals was disseminated in October 2020. From the 39 proposals that were received, the investigators selected five projects for funding, once again in consultation with DOT staff and focusing on topics related to the Department's research objectives. The funded projects for the 2020-21 academic year are:
The Potential of Public Transit: Evidence from Mobile Phone Data
Investigators: Milena Almagro, University of Chicago; Juan Camilo Castillo, University of Pennsylvania; Tobias Salz, MIT and NBER
The Last Mile Problem: A Grand Transportation Challenge
Investigators: Peter Christensen, Lewis Lehe, and Adam Osman, University of Illinois
Regulating Untaxable Externalities: Evidence from Vehicle Air Pollution and Exhaust Standards
Investigators: Mark Jacobsen, University of California, San Diego and NBER; James Sallee and Joseph Shapiro, University of California, Berkeley and NBER; Arthur van Benthem, University of Pennsylvania and NBER
Procurement and Infrastructure Costs
Investigators: Zachary Liscow, Yale University and Cailin Slattery, Columbia University
Detour Ahead: Market Frictions and Path Dependence in Transportation Networks
Investigators: Marta Santamaria, University of Warwick and Diana Van Patten, Princeton University
A third call for proposals was disseminated in August 2021. From the 26 proposals that were received, the investigators selected nine projects for funding, once again in consultation with DOT staff and focusing on topics related to the Department's research objectives. The funded projects for the 2021-22 academic year are:
Optimal Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles
Investigators: Panle Jia Barwick, Cornell and NBER; Christopher Knittel, MIT and NBER; Shanjun Li, Cornell and NBER; James Stock, Harvard University and NBER
Port Competition and World Trade
Investigators: Giulia Brancaccio, NYU and NBER; Myrto Kalouptsidi, Harvard University and NBER; Theodore Papageorgiou, Boston College
Using New Transportation Options to Drive Low-Income Citizens to Greater Success
Investigators: Lee Branstetter, Carnegie Mellon and NBER; Beibei Li, Carnegie Mellon
Household Vehicle Portfolios and EV Demand
Investigators: Fiona Burlig, University of Chicago and NBER; James Bushnell, UC Davis and NBER; David Rapson, UC Davis
Political Economy of Transport Investments: Evidence from the California High-Speed Rail
Investigators: Pablo Fajgelbaum, Princeton University and NBER; Cecile Gaubert, UC Berkeley and NBER; Nicole Gorton, UCLA; Eduardo Morales, Princeton and NBER; Edouard Schaal, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Eliminating Fares to Expand Opportunities: Experimental Evidence on the Impacts of Free Public Transportation on Economic Disparities
Investigators: Matthew Freedman, UC Irvine; David Phillips, Notre Dame
Multimodal Transportation Networks
Investigators: Simon Fuchs, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Woan Foong Wong, Oregon
Uncharted Waters: Effects of Maritime Emission Regulation
Investigators: Michelle Marcus, Vanderbilt and NBER; Jamie Hansen-Lewis, UC Davis
Transportation as a Barrier to Education Access: Evidence from Chicago Public Schools
Investigators: Cecilia Moreira, Stanford; Steven Puller, Texas A&M and NBER; Ini Umosen, UC Berkeley