Regulation versus taxation: Efficiency of zoning and tax instruments as anti-congestion policy: Efficiency of zoning and tax instruments as anti-congestion policies

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The following two types of instruments may be used to combat the congestion of road and nonroad infrastructure: first, zoning as quantity regulation favored by planners; and second, congestion charges as tax instruments favored by economists. In contrast to the instrument choice literature in environmental economics, urban economics and planning studies seldom analyze these types of instruments together. We analyze these instruments in a general equilibrium spatial model with spatial heterogeneity. We examine their working mechanisms and efficiencies and extend the instrument choice approach to the externalities caused by infrastructure congestion. When the instrument design is optimal, zoning can be more efficient than, as efficient as, or less efficient than, congestion charges, depending on the relative strength of road and nonroad congestion. However, when, for whatever reason, there are deviations from the optimal instrument level, zoning not only becomes inferior to congestion charges, but is also likely to reduce welfare.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number101837
JournalJournal of Housing Economics
Volume56
Issue number56
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Mendeley b5f02e8d-4160-317d-bf96-908b97773c8f
Scopus 85126303641
WOS 000779415600001
ORCID /0000-0002-9937-8753/work/142243173

Keywords

Research priority areas of TU Dresden

DFG Classification of Subject Areas according to Review Boards

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • Congestion, Zoning, Pricing, Instrument choice, Spatial heterogeneity, Congestion, Instrument choice, Pricing, Spatial heterogeneity, Zoning

Library keywords