2 May 2013

Call for papers: "External Costs in Transportation and Logistics"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics.

External costs (EC) can be defined as costs imposed on firms by other individuals’ or firms’ consumption or production activities. For instance, individuals and firms in a society often suffer from noise, pollution, congestion, accidents and infrastructure damages caused by other individuals and firms who are performing their own consumption or production activities.

These sufferings are clearly costs to society due to the member entities’ diminished utilities and reduced production activities. However, they are not properly reflected in the cost estimates for sector activities since existing markets are unable to price them due to the unavailability of transaction mechanisms.
These externalities exist and should be reflected in the cost functions of individuals’ and firms’ activities in their sectors. In addition, growing awareness of the importance of global warming and climate change requires firms to reflect the external costs in their activities. In spite of the importance of external costs, the current literature in transportation and logistics areas shows that the contemporary level of knowledge is not sufficient in theorizing, modelling and estimating external costs. Therefore, there is a great academic need to address this issue.

This special issue is dedicated to facilitating intellectual exchange and to contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the theme of external costs of logistics and transportation sectors. Contributors to the special issue are encouraged to focus on novel theoretical and empirical research.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the GREEN Round Table 2014 conference to be held in Chulalongkorn University in Thailand over 2-3 April 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand. The conference is jointly held with the Asia Logistics Round Table (ALRT) 2014. But researchers unable to participate in the conference are also strongly encouraged to submit articles for this call.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Environmental issues in transport logistics
  • Theoretical development of external costs: theory and measurement
  • External costs in aviation, maritime and land transportation
  • External costs in logistics
  • Policy directions of external costs
Important Dates
Submissions deadline: 31 July, 2014

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