TY - JOUR
T1 - Competition or complementarity in Dutch inland port development
T2 - A case of overproximity?
AU - Witte, Patrick
AU - Wiegmans, Bart
AU - Rodrigue, Jean Paul
PY - 2017/4/1
Y1 - 2017/4/1
N2 - The port economics literature is extensive, but does not address well the economic effects of inland ports development. This paper explores the extent to which spatial proximity of inland ports vis-a-vis each other influences agglomeration externalities. Spatially lagged regression models are employed to analyse whether spatial dependence between proximate inland ports can be observed or, alternatively, whether the density of the inland port network in the Netherlands is leading to diseconomies of scale because of overproximity. The conclusions indicate that especially in the context of the dense fluvial network of the Netherlands inland ports development involves much competition among inland ports; being proximite to strong neighbouring inland ports is not necessarily beneficial to the growth prospects of an inland port. This indication of overproximity highlights a need for reflection on the possibility of an integrated and coordinated regional governance approach towards inland port development in the Netherlands and North-West Europe. The relationship between inland ports and regional development is obviously present, but ambiguous since it involves a multiplicity of interactions among a diversity of actors.
AB - The port economics literature is extensive, but does not address well the economic effects of inland ports development. This paper explores the extent to which spatial proximity of inland ports vis-a-vis each other influences agglomeration externalities. Spatially lagged regression models are employed to analyse whether spatial dependence between proximate inland ports can be observed or, alternatively, whether the density of the inland port network in the Netherlands is leading to diseconomies of scale because of overproximity. The conclusions indicate that especially in the context of the dense fluvial network of the Netherlands inland ports development involves much competition among inland ports; being proximite to strong neighbouring inland ports is not necessarily beneficial to the growth prospects of an inland port. This indication of overproximity highlights a need for reflection on the possibility of an integrated and coordinated regional governance approach towards inland port development in the Netherlands and North-West Europe. The relationship between inland ports and regional development is obviously present, but ambiguous since it involves a multiplicity of interactions among a diversity of actors.
KW - Agglomeration externalities
KW - Governance
KW - Inland ports
KW - Regional clustering
KW - Spatial proximity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85014284466&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.02.008
DO - 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.02.008
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85014284466
SN - 0966-6923
VL - 60
SP - 80
EP - 88
JO - Journal of Transport Geography
JF - Journal of Transport Geography
ER -