State intervention in contemporary transport

For over 30 years the context for transport policy in much of the developed world has been framed by neo-liberal economic values, which seek to maximise the role of market mechanisms in public policy and service provision. Although the pace of deregulation, privatisation and other reforms has varied between countries, neo-liberal ideas and practices have become increasingly important in the planning and delivery of transport across all modes. In recent years, however, there has been something of a retreat from this position as governments have sought to re-engage in the delivery of many areas of policy, including transportation, in response to a range of economic, social and political trends. This paper reviews the reasons for this re-engagement, applying inter alia the conceptualisations and theoretical approaches of the ‘new economic geography’ to explore the changing role of the state in 21st century transport. As such, the paper also serves to establish a background for the six following contributions to this special issue of the Journal of Transport Geography