Chile

by Glaeser, Edward L.; Meyer, John Robert

• ISBN13: 9780674002562
• ISBN10: 0674002563
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr

Summary

Megacities such as Santiago are becoming a worldwide phenomenon. In six of eleven South American countries, over 25 percent of the population lives in a single city. What policies should national governments adopt with regard to dominant metropolises? Is it appropriate to restrict the flow of population to big cities? Or should governments take a laissez-faire attitude and permit city growth?

Focusing on Chile, this book argues that appropriate government action lies between these extremes. The authors espouse spatial policies that mitigate the social costs of congestion and pollution but also ensure that migrants pay the social costs of moving to big cities.

Table of Contents

Urban Development: The Benefits and Costs of Agglomeration	1	(13)
John R. Meyer
Edward L. Glaeser
Introduction	1	(11)
References	12	(1)
Market and Policy Failures in Urban Development	13	(14)
Edward L. Glaeser
Cities and Pareto Optimality	14	(2)
Externalities, Pollution, and Congestion	16	(1)
Network Externalities and Coordination Failures	17	(1)
Public Goods	18	(2)
Increasing Returns	20	(1)
Government-Induced Distortions	21	(2)
Solutions for Externalities	23	(1)
Solution to Government-Created Distortions	24	(1)
Conclusion	25	(2)
The Causes and Consequences of Air Pollution in Santiago	27	(22)
Suzi Kerr
Matthew E. Kahn
Air Quality in Santiago-Background	28	(2)
A Sectoral Decomposition of Pollution Sources	30	(2)
Per-Capita Health Costs of Pollution in Santago	32	(2)
Economic Growth and Santago's Pollution Externality	34	(3)
Implications for Policy	37	(6)
Conclusion	43	(1)
References	44	(3)
Appendix A	47	(1)
Appendix B	48	(1)
Environmental and Communications Infrastructure in Chile	49	(56)
Amrita G. Daniere
Jose A. Gomez-Ibanez
Introduction	49	(1)
Water and Sewage Services	50	(16)
Solid Waste Collection and Disposal	66	(7)
Telecommunications	73	(8)
Conclusion	81	(2)
References	83	(3)
Appendix A	86	(16)
Appendix B	102	(3)
Efficiency and Locational Consequences of Government Transport Policies and Spending in Chile	105	(92)
John E. Kain
Zhi Liu
Introduction	105	(2)
Institutional Arrangements	107	(1)
Chile's Economic Geography	108	(2)
Intercity Freight and Passenger Services	110	(2)
Ports and Shipping	112	(2)
Chilean Railways	114	(1)
Intercity Roads	115	(5)
Vehicle Ownership and Per-Capita Income	120	(3)
Intercity Trucking and Buses	123	(1)
Consequences of Intercity Bus Deregulation	124	(1)
Economic Evaluations of Intercity Road Investments	124	(2)
Economic Evaluations of Urban Road and Street Projects	126	(3)
Actual and Estimated Rates of Return for Public Transport Investments	129	(2)
Projected Rates of Return for Segregated Bus Ways	131	(2)
Fare Box Recovery Ratios for the Santiago Metro	133	(2)
An Overview of Urban Transportation in Chile	135	(1)
The Demand for Urban Travel and Urban Form	136	(4)
Determinants of Vehicle Ownership in Santiago	140	(2)
Determinants of Mode Choices	142	(6)
Public vs. Private Trip Times	148	(2)
Some Crude Estimates of Congestion	150	(2)
The Provision of Urban Public Transport Services	152	(6)
Route Tendering of Central Area Bus Routes in Santiago	158	(2)
The Congestion Pricing Alternative	160	(2)
Summing Up: Spatial Impacts and Policy Recommendations	162	(14)
References	176	(21)
The Spatial Implications of Housing Policy in Chile	197	(54)
Jean Cummings
Denise Dipasquale
Introduction	197	(2)
The Chilean Housing Market: International Context	199	(5)
Chilean Housing Policy: Coping with Needs	204	(8)
Spatial Implications of MINVU's Housing Programs	212	(8)
Intraregional Distribution of Housing Subsidies: The Case of Greater Santiago	220	(19)
Policy Recommendations	239	(1)
References	240	(3)
Appendix A	243	(1)
Appendix B	244	(3)
Appendix C	247	(4)
Spatial Distortions in the Provision of Social Services	251	(16)
Edward L. Glaeser
Introduction	251	(1)
Evidence on Social Welfare	252	(1)
Primary and Secondary Schooling	252	(4)
College Education	256	(2)
Health Programs in Chile-History	258	(1)
Spatial Distortions	258	(2)
Other Social Welfare Programs	260	(1)
The Net Flow of Social Service Funds	260	(1)
Conclusion	261	(1)
Reference	261	(1)
Appendix A	262	(2)
Appendix B	264	(3)
Lessons and Summary: The Public/Private Frontier in Urban Development	267	(17)
Edward L. Glaeser
John R. Meyer
References	284