Shipping Economics by Kevin Cullinane

Shipping is by far the most significant mode of transportation for the carriage of freight. In terms of volume alone, no other mode comes close. Its dominance is even more overwhelming when distances are accounted for. This book is concerned with the economics of this pivotal mode of transportation. It reveals that the influences on the development and current state of shipping economics research are extremely eclectic. The various chapters in the book represent areas that are of central concern to ongoing research in the field. As such, the book is useful to students, researchers, industrialists, policy makers and consultants. The authors of the contributed chapters are some of the leading names in the world of shipping economics, addressing a number of diverse areas: The econometric modeling of shipping markets; Shipping finance (a critical issue in such a capital intensive industry); Fiscal policy (and its impact on an international industry with great asset mobility) and Safety and security (aspects that have risen to prominence with increasing concerns over the environment and international terrorism). Ultimately, while shipping as a business depends upon trade, it is absolutely certain that the business of trade depends upon shipping. The final two chapters, therefore, incorporate aspects of network economics, welfare economics and international trade theory to analyze where and how shipping sits within the wider perspective of industrial supply chains.