不列颠哥伦比亚省经济学家电子游戏正规平台美国经济状况.S. 航运业

NSF grant supports analysis by Felter Family Associate Professor of Economics Theodore Papageorgiou and colleagues

Felter Family Associate Professor of Economics Theodore Papageorgiou and colleagues have been awarded a three-year, $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the infrastructure of the nation’s ports, 它们对供应链的影响, and how best to plan for an investment in facilities that receive the United States’ share of 航运 traffic—which transports approximately 80 percent of all global trade.

“We are very excited to receive this funding,帕帕佐治说. “It allows us to push forward with this project and work harder and obtain some exciting data. We are also gratified to see our work recognized by the National Science Foundation. It is a very competitive process, so we are thrilled to be selected for NSF funding.”

Papageorgiou will work with two other economists, Harvard University’s Myrto Kalouptsidi and New York University’s Giulia Brancaccio. The trio’s prior research into the international 航运业 earned them last year’s Frisch Medal of the Econometric Society, regarded as one of the premier prizes in economics scholarship.

10月16日, 2023年——西奥多·帕帕佐治, Felter Family Associate Professor of Economics at 电子游戏软件's Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.

Theodore Papageorgiou (Caitlin Cunningham)

“This research is a continuation of the work that we have done on international 航运 and how it shapes global trade,帕帕佐治说. “This has to do with the role of ports in the U.S.,所以这是密切相关的.”

早些时候, the economists studied the role of the transportation sector in shaping international trade, and constructed a model that showcases previously overlooked costs.

在某种程度上, they want to look at the pandemic-era supply chain shocks that left retailers and consumers short on goods. Delays were often illustrated by images of cargo ships moored while awaiting facilities and personnel to unload their contents.

“We are trying to answer three primary questions,帕帕佐治说. “In an uncertain economic environment, what are the returns to investing in transportation infrastructure? How should funding be coordinated and spent? What are the drivers of port performance and why are ports so prone to disruption?”

The team will collect a range of data sets on trade, 航运, and ports and analyze that information using a state-of-the-art modeling framework for port technology and demand for port services, 他说.

The broad data profile ranges from geography and infrastructure—such as berths and cranes—to demand for port services and time delays bringing vessels to port to discharge cargo. Global 航运 annually transports approximately 80 percent of global goods and materials adding up to 11 million tons valued at $20 trillion, and the team will focus on vessels known as “bulkers” that account for nearly half of global ship transport as they ferry raw materials like grain, 钢, 肥料, 和石油, Papageorgiou说. The team plans to draw insights from queuing theory to better detail the costs associated with delays, 或者“在港时间”.” Ultimately, the research should highlight where to target infrastructure improvements.

The team envisions their findings being used by policymakers to determine how best to upgrade the nation’s top 50 ports to improve performance and lessen the impact of economic and supply shocks, 他说.

“Port infrastructure acts as insurance against these severe economic shocks,帕帕佐治说. “When you have a very high demand for port services, you need to have the infrastructure to meet that demand. That capacity can serve as insurance against demand shocks. How we prioritize infrastructure improvements depends on the frequency of these shocks and how much we want to ensure against a repeat of what happened two years ago.”

该奖项是7美元奖金的一部分.5 million in NSF-funded projects exploring local and national infrastructure through the Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI) program, which incorporates scientific insights about human behavior and social dynamics to better design, 开发, 恢复, and maintain strong and effective American infrastructure, 根据美国国家科学基金会.

“The SAI program stimulates human-centered research that not only improves people’s lives but also provides a strong foundation for socioeconomic vitality and broad quality of life improvement,” said SAI Program Manager Steven Breckler in a news release. “SAI focuses on how knowledge of human reasoning and decision-making, 治理, and social and cultural processes enable the building and maintenance of effective infrastructure that improves lives and society and builds on advances in technology and engineering.”