Martin Dorciak (class of 2015) publishes research

Martin Dorciak, a member of the class of 2015, recently had his honors winning thesis accepted for publication. Martin’s thesis “undertakes a cost-benefit analysis of the German railway market looking specifically at the effects of high-speed rail development on railway passenger subsidies. Using OLS regression analysis, I estimate a demand curve for the German railway network at the route level; this is combined with cost curve estimates to yield a required subsidy for rail development assuming a natural monopoly market structure. I find that an increase in demand as a result of the introduction of high-speed rail technology causes a 23.9% decrease in required rail subsidies.”

Understanding the costs and benefits of alternative transportation strategies is important to policy makers as they seek to invest in more robust public transportation infrastructure. Martin’s research also has implications for those looking to reduce carbon emissions from transport. 

The article was published in the Undergraduate Economic Review.