Modeling transit technology selection in a linear transportation corridor

This paper proposes an analytical model for investigating transit technology selection problem from a perspective of transit authority. Given a transit technology alternative (e.g., metro, light rail transit, or bus rapid transit), the proposed model aims to maximize the social welfare of the transit system by determining the optimal combination of transit line length, number of stations, station location (or spacing), headway, and fare. In the proposed model, the effects of passenger demand elasticity and capacity constraint are explicitly considered. The properties of the model are examined analytically, and a heuristic solution procedure for determining the model solution is presented. By comparing the optimized social welfare for different transit technology alternatives, the optimal transit technology solution can be obtained together with critical population density. On the basis of a simple population growth rate formula, optimal investment timing of a new transit technology can be estimated. The proposed methodology is illustrated in several Chinese cities. Insightful findings are reported on the interrelation among transit technology selection, population density, transit investment cost, and transit line parameter design as well as the comparison between social welfare maximization and profit maximization regimes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A framework to evaluate policy options for supporting electric vehicles in urban freight transport

Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered as a feasible alternative to traditional vehicles. Few studies have addressed the impacts of policies supporting EVs in urban freight transport. To cast light on this topic, we established a framework combining an optimization model with economic analysis to determine the optimal behavior of an individual delivery service provider company and social impacts (e.g., externalities and welfare) in response to policies designed to support EVs, such as purchase subsidy, limited access (zone fee) to congestion/low-emission zones with exemptions for EVs, and vehicle taxes with exemptions for EVs. Numerical experiments showed that the zone fee can increase the company’s total logistics costs but improve the social welfare. It greatly reduced the external cost inside the congestion/low-emission zone with a high population, dense pollution, and heavy traffic. The vehicle taxes and subsidy were found to have the same influence on the company and society, although they have different effects with low tax/subsidy rates because their different effects on vehicle routing plans. Finally, we performed a sensitivity analysis. Local factors at the company and city levels (e.g., types of vehicle and transport network) are also important to designing efficient policies for urban logistics that support EVs.     

铁路公益性客运范围界定混合决策模型

随着国家“基本公共服务均等化”规划的提出和铁路“政企分开”市场化改革的推进，铁路公益性与商业性服务之间的矛盾越发突出. 合理界定铁路公益性客运范围是缓解冲突，实现有效供给的前提. 本文结合定性与定量分析，构建了基于B-C-C三阶段决策流程和 PCFA-FCM降维聚类算法的铁路公益性客运范围界定混合决策模型.B-C-C三阶段决策模型以社会效益、经济状况和现实能力作为层进式判定条件，实现铁路公益性客运范围界定的顶层决策.PCFA-FCM降维聚类算法解决了决策流程实际运作中最难实现的社会效益(公益程度)量化分析问题，可以摆脱列车类型的约束，根据实际指标属性进行分类.     

Selection of Mergers and Acquisitions by Foreign Capital in Open Economies

IntroductionIn recent years, large quantities of multinationalcorporations ( MNCs) compete for publicly tradedcompanies in mainland china, which gives domesticfirms more alternatives, and increases their economicbenefit. With their different impacts on me…     

城市轨道交通差异化票价和补贴优化

为研究不同群体，即一般群体和特殊群体(老年人、残疾人、学生)的票价方案和补贴问题，本文考虑不同群体的差异性，以各群体的票价折扣率和列车开行间隔为决策变量，构建基于群体差异化的运营补贴优化模型，以社会福利最大化为目标，优化各群体的票价折扣率、企业的服务水平及政府的补贴额度，确保各群体获得合适的补贴，实现公共交通出行的公平性。综合考虑城市轨道交通运输能力约束、政府财政约束及不同群体票价折扣率约束，设计了基于模拟退火算法的求解算法。以长沙地铁2号线为例，分析比较不同群体的票价折扣率，提出基于列车运行计划的福利票价方案。研究结果表明，一般群体不享受折扣，残疾人4折优惠，老年人2折优惠及学生6折优惠，交通特殊群体的出行比分别提升了1.06%，2.86%及1.94%。政府在实施补贴政策时，可以通过不同群体的票价福利措施和企业的服务水平确定补贴额度。     

Implications of the cost of public funds in public transit subsidization and regulation

This paper identifies some implications of the cost of public funds (CF) in public transit subsidization and regulation. Regulation is considered because a monopolistic operator is assumed. A social welfare maximization model is proposed, subject to individual rationality and vehicle capacity constraints. Optimality conditions are provided and a key formula is derived about CF’s role in balancing the need to cover the fixed operation cost through fares on the operator’s side and the effort to maintain the user surplus on the passengers’ side. Major findings from this model’s formulation include: (1) CF determines the extent to which the passengers’ surplus is compromised in order to cover the fixed part of the operating cost, and (2) subsidy is unjustified when CF exceeds the critical shadow price of the financial constraint. Analytical relations are illustrated through numerical examples.     

The independence of volume-capacity ratio of private toll roads in general networks

In a general traffic network under some widely used assumptions, this paper proves that the level of service, represented by the volume-capacity (v/c) ratio, offered by a profit-maximizing private firm on a private toll road is independent of another competitor’s choice of capacity and toll rate for another private toll road. The v/c ratio will be the same as the one provided by a centralized welfare-maximizing traffic authority. Moreover, the ratio remains the same even in a regulated market where the authority imposes a cap for the generalized travel cost on the private toll road.     

浅谈高速公路社会公益性属性的发挥

对高速公路社会公益性属性的发挥进行了阐述.     

论西方经济学个人收入分配理论的三次转型及其意义

通过对西方经济学理论中关于个人收入分配理论三次转型的梳理,反映出这一理论的历史变迁。个人收入分配理论已经从经济学领域向其他领域深化和展开。这三次转型对解决我国当前在个人收入分配中存在的矛盾有借鉴意义。     

Open skies and open gates

Airline alliances are a global transportation issue which is the subject of increasing attention in the literature. A simple simulation model of air carrier competition in a network is constructed to examine the economic welfare effects of different levels of alliance between the carriers serving the network. The simulations confirm that consumers derive benefits from improved access to passenger markets. However, in many cases, carriers tend to gain from a limited alliance such as code-sharing. This suggests that closer alliances may be driven by other considerations such as raising barriers to entry or the cross-subsidisation of international routes through greater control of the domestic market.