Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux

Type de document

ARTICLE A COMITE DE LECTURE REPERTORIE DANS BDI (ACL)

Langue

anglais

Auteur

POINSOT

Résumé / Abstract

The emergence of railroads in France in the nineteenth century gave rise to new debates on analytical issues. The focus of interest lay in the fact that they are natural monopolies. In this paper, I focus on Jules Dupuit's work on the operations of the railroad sector. Curiously, he seemed to have defended two contrasting positions, opening the way for debate among commentators: on the one hand, he claimed that unlimited competition is the most efficient way to operate in the railroad sector; on the other, he stated that State management was the best way to run the railroads. I aim to restore the consistency of Dupuit's positions on the railroads. In section II, I discuss Dupuit's position on unlimited competition in the railroad sector, showing that, for him, this kind of competition is not possible in the railroads and that it is not necessarily good for the welfare of society. Therefore, the State should regulate the railroad sector either by State management or through concessions. In section III, I specify the conditions under which Dupuit believed the State should manage the railroad sector instead of offering concessions to private companies

Source

Transport Policy, 36 p p.

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