DG ECONOMY
Transport Directorate and Transport Scotland
There are 8 economists in the Transport Analytical Services Team - four in the Transport Directorate within the Scottish Government, and four in Transport Scotland. The team also includes professional statisticians and social researchers, and works closely with professional transport planners and policy makers. Working with those other specialists, economists are responsible for providing advice and analysis which supports the development of strategy and policy; monitoring and evaluation of policy performance; assessment of market failures; and the rationale for government intervention across the transport agenda in Scotland.
Economists in Transport Directorate look at key issues, amongst others, such as:
- The contribution of transport to sustainable economic growth in Scotland;
- The rationale for the introduction of Concessionary Fares;
- The contribution of subsidised ferry services to economic and social welfare in remote communities; and
- links between transport and other high profile policies such as climate change, social inclusion and health.
Economists in Transport Scotland are responsible for, amongst other things:
Developing guidance for carrying out economic appraisals of transport infrastructure projects (e.g. new roads or rail links) submitted to the Scottish Government for funding;
- Economic advice on the rail network and fares in Scotland;
- Researching the economic impact of congestion; and
- Interpreting economic modelling output for traffic flows in Scotland.