Evaluation and "Market Failure": Criteria for Intervention

Discussion Question

The number of vehicle miles traveled has increased enormously in the US since 1936.  There are also many more cars, and lots of money being spent on the automobile.  Is the "public" transportation system a success, or a failure?  What are the goals of our "policy" on transportation, and how do these figures indicate the extent to which these goals are being achieved?

Data Set

Annual series of total private (cars and motorcycles), total truck, and total bus vehicle miles (in millions), 1936 -1995.

Source:
The Highway Statistics Summary to 1995
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Highway Information Management
(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/summary95/section5.html)

Advanced Questions

What information regarding other forms of transportation would be useful for analyzing the success of the public transportation system?  What information about the labor force would be important for this analysis?


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