November 1997 Motorization grows in proportion to income at the national and urban level, as do paved roads at the national level; urban roads grow much more slowly than income. Using panel data from 50 countries and 35 urban areas (covering a wide range of country incomes), Ingram and Liu summarize trends in motorization and the provision of roads, and they examine the ratio of motor vehicles to roads in a production function framework at both national and urban levels. They find regularities very strong across countries and urban areas and over time. Among their sometimes surprising findings: * Economic development increases demand for transport, reliance on cars and trucks, and road provision. * Motorization expands at the same rate as per capita income, but the auto fleet expands more rapidly, and commercial vehicles less rapidly, than income. At early stages of motorization, commercial vehicles comprise a large share of the motor vehicle fleet. Passenger transport by automobile becomes more prominent as income grows. Both country and urban data show evidence of similar saturation levels for car and total motor vehicle ownership. * The presence of railways at the national level reduces commercial vehicle ownership but not car ownership, suggesting that rail is competitive for freight but not for passenger travel as incomes grow. * Nationally, road networks expand more slowly than incomes, but paved road networks expand at the same rate as incomes. Road provision appears to be quite responsive to demand nationally. * For specific urban areas, per capita road length is positively associated with national income level but changes little over time, showing that history or urban endowments matter. The annexation of surrounding developed area appears to play a big role in expanding urban road length. Urban areas average roughly 15 times more road length per unit area, and seven times more vehicles per kilometer of road, than countries Ñ and a saturation level exists for urban road length per unit of area. * Vehicles per kilometer of road are positively associated with income, with (proxies for) land prices, and with low gasoline prices. This paper-a joint product of the Research Advisory Staff and Transport, Water, and Urban Development Department-was presented at a conference on transport and regulation at Harvard University in September 1997.

Motorization grows in proportion to income at the national and urban level, as do paved roads at the national level; urban roads grow much more slowly than income. Using panel data from 50 countries and 35 urban areas (covering a wide range of country incomes), Ingram and Liu summarize trends in motorization and the provision of roads, and they examine the ratio of motor vehicles to roads in a production function framework at both national and urban levels. They find regularities very strong across countries and urban areas and over time.Among their sometimes surprising findings:deg; Economic development increases demand for transport, reliance on cars and trucks, and road provision.deg; Motorization expands at the same rate as per capita income, but the auto fleet expands more rapidly, and commercial vehicles less rapidly, than income. At early stages of motorization, commercial vehicles comprise a large share of the motor vehicle fleet. Passenger transport by automobile becomes more prominent as income grows. Both country and urban data show evidence of similar saturation levels for car and total motor vehicle ownership.deg; The presence of railways at the national level reduces commercial vehicle ownership but not car ownership, suggesting that rail is competitive for freight but not for passenger travel as incomes grow.deg; Nationally, road networks expand more slowly than incomes, but paved road networks expand at the same rate as incomes. Road provision appears to be quite responsive to demand nationally.deg; For specific urban areas, per capita road length is positively associated with national income level but changes little over time, showing that history or urban endowments matter. The annexation of surrounding developed area appears to play a big role in expanding urban road length. Urban areas average roughly 15 times more road length per unit area, and seven times more vehicles per kilometer of road, than countries N and a saturation level exists for urban road length per unit of area.deg; Vehicles per kilometer of road are positively associated with income, with (proxies for) land prices, and with low gasoline prices.This paper - a joint product of the Research Advisory Staff and Transport, Water, and Urban Development Department - was presented at a conference on transport and regulation at Harvard University in September 1997.

This comprehensive survey of transportation economic policy pays homage to a classic work, Techniques of Transportation Planning, by renowned transportation scholar John R. Meyer. With contributions from leading economists in the field, it includes added emphasis on policy developments and analysis. The book covers the basic analytic methods used in transportation economics and policy analysis; focuses on the automobile, as both the mainstay of American transportation and the source of some of its most serious difficulties; covers key issues of urban public transportation; and analyzes the impact of regulation and deregulation on the U.S. airline, railroad, and trucking industries. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Alan A. Altshuler, Harvard University; Ronald R. Braeutigam, Northwestern University; Robert E. Gallamore, Union Pacific Railroad; Arnold M. Howitt, Harvard University; Gregory K. Ingram, The Wold Bank; John F. Kain, University of Texas at Dallas; Charles Lave, University of California, Irvine; Lester Lave, Carnegie Mellon University; Robert A. Leone, Boston University; Zhi Liu, The World Bank; Herbert Mohring, University of Minnesota; Steven A. Morrison, Northeastern University; Katherine M. O'Regan, Yale University; Don Pickrell, U.S. Department of Transportation; John M. Quigley, University of California, Berkeley; Ian Savage, Northwestern University; and Kenneth A. Small, University of California Irvine.

While overconsumption by the developed world's roughly one billion inhabitants is an abiding problem, another one billion increasingly affluent "new consumers" in developing countries will place additional strains on the earth's resources, argue authors Norman Myers and Jennifer Kent in this important new book. The New Consumers examines the environmental impacts of this increased consumption, with particular focus on two commodities -- cars and meat -- that stand to have the most far-reaching effects. It analyzes consumption patterns in a number of different countries, with special emphasis on China and India (whose surging economies, as well as their large populations, are likely to account for exceptional growth in humanity's ecological footprint), and surveys big-picture issues such as the globalization of economies, consumer goods, and lifestyles. Ultimately, according to the orman Myers and Jennifer Kent, the challenge will be for all of humanity to transition to sustainable levels of consumption, for it is unrealistic to expect "new" consumers not to aspire to be like the "old" ones. Cogent in its analysis, The New Consumers issues a timely warning of a major and developing environmental trend, and suggests valuable strategies for ameliorating its effects.

The four basic objectives of the World Bank's research program are:broadening understanding of development; assisting in developing research capacity in member countries; improving the Bank's capacity in advising members; and supporting all aspects of its own operations. The report is the annual compendium of current Bank research. The abstracts in this volume report on research projects within FY98, describing questions addressed , analytical methods used, findings to date, and policy implications. In addition, each abstract identifies the expected completion date and the research team, as well as any report or publication produced. The abstracts cover 193 research projects grouped under nine major headings, as follows:1) poverty and social welfare; 2) labor markets and education; 3) environmentally sustainable development; 4) infrastructure and urban development; 5) macroeconomics; 6) international economics; 7) domestic finance and capital markets; 8) transition economies; and 9) private sector development and public sector management. An appendix is included, listing reports and publications produced by Bank research with corresponding availability sources. Abstracts are indexed by the sponsoring unit.