Tag: R42

THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AIR TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT. AN EMPIRICAL INQUIRY

Daniela- Luminița CONSTANTIN

Professor at the Department of Administration and Public Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies; Bucharest; Romania

danielaconstantin_2005@yahoo.com

Ana-Maria MARCU

Reseαrcher, Administration and Public Management, Faculty of Administration and Public Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies; Bucharest; Romania

marcuana19@stud.ase.ro

Abstract

Nowadays the development of the air transport infrastructure is acknowledged as an important driver of regional development, while the economic development processes impact the demand and volume of air transport as well. This paper investigates the complex relationship between air transport infrastructure and regional development proposing an empirical analysis for the case of Romania, whose relevance is supported by her unprecedented dynamism in the general European framework at the same time with the tendency of reducing regional disparities, the balanced geographical distribution of the airport network, and the country’s geo-strategical position in the new international force field. By applying an in-depth analysis which combines the examination of strategic documents with the interpretation of statistical data and semi-structured interviews, relevant findings are provided with regard to the significance of air transport infrastructure in a context described by diversity of regional development levels, accompanied by insights into the policy-making framework, with emphasis on the requirements to be met for proper responses to the need to reinforce the air transport sector and to integrate the national vision with the specific regional development aspects.

Keywords: air transport infrastructure, regional disparities, place-based approaches, resilience, integration

JEL classification: R11, R19, R42, R58

 pp. 61-80

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INVESTIGATING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TOPOLOGY OF BUS TRANSPORT NETWORKS AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN GREECE

Thomai TASOPOULOU

Researcher, Department of Regional Development and Planning,

University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece

thtassopoulou@gmail.com

Dimitrios TSIOTAS

Assistant Professor, Department of Regional and Economic Development,

School of Applied Economics and Social Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Amfissa, Greece

tsiotas@aua.gr (Corresponding Author)

Serafeim POLYZOS

Professor, Department of Regional Development and Planning,

University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece

spolyzos@uth.gr

Abstract

Bus companies are transport operators that support the demand in local markets for transport and at the same time promote regional development. This paper studies the topological and geographical characteristics of the Greek Bus Transport Network (GBTN) of the Joint Reciepts Fund of Buses (KTELs) of five regions of Greece in relation to their socio-economic environment, aiming at studying the effectiveness of the GBTN in comparison to the inter-regional road transport network in Greece. For this purpose, we apply complex network and econometric analysis to delve into the interaction between the topology of bus transport networks and regional development, focusing on the case of Greece. The methodological approach promotes the analysis of complex spatial networks, as a modeling tool in spatial planning. Overall, this paper highlights and evaluates the contribution of the interurban network to the overall road network of the country and the support and promotion of the economic profile of local markets.

Keywords: public transport, regional and local economy, network science, spatial networks, network analysis,

JEL classification: R41, R42, R1

 pp. 25-46

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THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON MEGA ENERGY PROJECTS AND LNG SHIPPING INFRASTRUCTURE; THE CASE OF EASTMED PIPELINE

Antonios STRATAKIS

PhD Candidate, University of Piraeus – Department of Maritime Studies

stratakismaritime@gmail.com

Theodore PELAGIDIS

Professor of Economics, University of Piraeus – Department of Maritime Studies, Deputy Governor – Bank of Greece, Tpelagidis@bankofgreece.gr

pelagidi@unipi.gr

Abstract

It is a matter of fact that COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes in political, economic and social level worldwide. The aim of this paper is to examine the potential impact of the pandemic on the launching of large scale energy projects in Southeast Mediterranean region, and in particular the construction of EastMed Pipeline. During 2020, many energy projects across the globe were postponed and that trend is mainly attributed to: a) the economic recession brought by COVID-19, b) a lack of investment appetite by major energy companies whose financial position was severely hit by the pandemic and the volatile energy prices and c) the switching to the use of alternative energy sources (mainly renewables and hydrogen) in an attempt to minimize the global share of fossil fuels and their emissions, the so-called “energy transition” process. This paper takes into account whether all the above exogenous factors create serious implications to the development of the most important mega energy project of Southeast Mediterranean in terms of energy geopolitics, the EastMed Pipeline. Finally, the paper examines the conflicted geopolitical interests of regional players such as Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Turkey and Egypt, as well as the role of European Union and the United States in the energy equation of Southeast Mediterranean.

Keywords: COVID-19, Economic recession, EastMed pipeline, Alternative energy sources, Southeast Mediterranean, Investments

JEL classification: F10, F51, R41, R42, R48

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