The pricing of public transportation is a frequently debated subject, and a notable current trend is leaning towards flat-rate pricing. In the previous year, Germany introduced a flat-rate ticket, enabling individuals to access public transportation across the entire country for just 9 euros per...

This study analyzes the effects of binding local speed limits on crash frequency on German motorways. Various geo-spatial data sources are merged to a new data set providing rich information on characteristics for 500-meter segments of large parts of the German motorway network. The empirical...

This study analyzes the effects of binding speed limits on crash frequency on German motorways. Various geo-spatial data sources are merged to a new data set providing rich information on roadway characteristics for 500-meter segments of large parts of the German motorway network. The empirical...

The Energy Tax Directive recently proposed by the European Commission envisages to tax fuels based on their energy content. By raising prices for diesel to a level higher than that of petrol, this proposal would eliminate the price advantage currently enjoyed by diesel in most EU Member States....

As part of its efforts to reach the targets of the Kyoto Protocol, the European Commission is currently considering a new directive to reduce the per-kilometer CO2 emissions of newly registered automobiles. This paper critically assesses this proposal with respect to its economic and...

This paper reviews the book “Infrastructure and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa” by Antonio Estache and Quentin Wodon. The authors summarize the political debate on infrastructure policy in Africa in a very compelling and knowledgeable way and make a convincing case for pro-poor subsidies....

In addition to efficiency standards and consumer information, car-related taxes constitute one of three pillars of the European Commission¿s strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars. A longstanding question concerns the effectiveness of such taxes in determining the car-purchasing...

To accelerate the electrification of the transport sector, many countries subsidize both the construction of public charging infrastructure and the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs). Possible complementarities between these measures raise the question of their optimal calibration. Drawing on...

Consumer subsidies are commonly employed to incentivize the purchase of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), but free-ridership potentially undermines their effectiveness. The present study investigates BEV subsidies in Germany, distinguishing their effect between company- and private cars. Drawing...

Despite steady increases in fuel economy, CO2 emissions from road transportation in Germany are on the rise, increasing by nearly 4% since 2009. This study analyzes the impact of different policy levers for bucking this trend, focusing specifically on the role of fuel prices and features of the...