Air Passenger Transport and Regional Development: Cause and Effect in Europe

  • Elien Van de Vijver Ghent University
  • Ben Derudder Ghent University
  • Frank Witlox Ghent University
Keywords: economic development, air passenger transport, European regional development, Granger causality,

Abstract

This article scrutinizes the mutual and complex causal relationship between air passenger transport and regional development in the European NUTS2-regions with heterogeneous Granger causality analysis between 2002 and 2011. Employment is used as a relatively robust and measurable indicator of a region’s development and employment in the services sector and in the manufacturing sector is treated separately to discern basic sectoral variances. The proposed methodology allows investigating (i) if air transport in the European regions causally influences employment, (ii) if employment also leads to higher transport levels, and (iii) regional variations in this causal relationship. The results show that both directions of causality occur among the European urban regions, albeit very geographically fragmented. This indicates that air passenger transport is a necessary part of, but not sufficient condition for generating regional development. The more abundant relationships for employment in the services sector confirm the sensitivity of the services industry to air passenger transport.

Author Biographiesaaa replica rolex repwatches replica rolex watches for men replica iwc watch

Elien Van de Vijver, Ghent University
Post-doc, formerly at Ghent University, Department of Geography
Ben Derudder, Ghent University
Associate Professor of Human Geography, Ghent University, Department of Geography
Frank Witlox, Ghent University

Frank Witlox holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning (Eindhoven University of Technology), a Master’s Degree in Applied Economics and a Master’s Degree in Maritime Sciences (both University of Antwerp). Currently, he is Professor of Economic Geography at the Department of Geography of the Ghent University. He teaches among others Transport Geography; Economic Geography; Geography of the Enterprise; Transport, Logistics and Space; Spatial Modelling Techniques; Current Issues in Social and Economic Geography. He is also a visiting professor at ITMMA (Institute of Transport and Maritime Management Antwerp) where he teaches Warehouse and Hinterland Distribution Management, and an Associate Director of GaWC (Globalization and World Cities, Loughborough University). Since 2010 he is the Director of the Doctoral School of Natural Sciences (UGent). His research focuses on transport economics and geography, economic geography, spatial modelling techniques, (city) logistics, world cities and globalization, and land use change/development.

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Published
2016-04-25
How to Cite
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Van de Vijver E, Derudder B, Witlox F. Air Passenger Transport and Regional Development: Cause and Effect in Europe. Promet [Internet]. 2016Apr.25 [cited 2024Mar.29];28(2):143-54. Available from: http://traffic.fpz.hr/index.php/PROMTT/article/view/1756
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