Title: Banning the Bahn: transport Infrastructure effects on Austrian cluster firms

Authors: Edward M. Bergman, Gunther Maier, Patrick Lehner

Addresses: Department of City and Regional Development, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Nordbergstrasse 15 A-1090 Vienna, Austria. ' Department of City and Regional Development, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Nordbergstrasse 15 A-1090 Vienna, Austria. ' Department of City and Regional Development, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Nordbergstrasse 15 A-1090 Vienna, Austria

Abstract: The adequacy of existing transport infrastructure to four distinct clusters in Austria|s key regions is tested by examining the willingness of logistics managers to pay for additional service improvements. Findings show an overall willingness to pay for multiple service improvements; this reveals a general dissatisfaction with current shipping options, regardless of transport mode, where rail-mode services – |Bahn| – provoke the greatest dissatisfaction. Willingness to pay for improvements generally increases by degrees of regional EU remoteness and relative youth of cluster industries, as hypothesised from Schumpeterian assumptions concerning infrastructure innovation.

Keywords: European Union; EU regions; industry clusters; economic infrastructure; contingent valuation; willingness to pay; transport services; Schumpeterian innovators; Austria; transport infrastructure; logistics management; service improvements; shipping options; rail services; infrastructure innovation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRDM.2008.018199

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2008 Vol.8 No.1/2, pp.3 - 24

Published online: 11 May 2008 *

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