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Outputs (29)

Urban freight policy maturity and sustainable logistics: are they related? (2023)
Journal Article
Cowie, J., & Fisken, K. (2023). Urban freight policy maturity and sustainable logistics: are they related?. Journal of Shipping and Trade, 8, Article 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41072-023-00133-0

Problems associated with urban freight are well known and documented in the academic literature, particularly with regards to the impact on air quality and general intrusion of public space. As a defining principle however, urban freight has general... Read More about Urban freight policy maturity and sustainable logistics: are they related?.

Bus Franchising in English and Scottish regions – viable solution or unfeasible instrument? (2022)
Journal Article
Villa i Aguilar, X., Rye, T., McTigue, C., & Cowie, J. (2022). Bus Franchising in English and Scottish regions – viable solution or unfeasible instrument?. Transport Policy, 120, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.02.011

Much research surrounds the move from publicly owned and operated bus markets to publicly controlled and privately operated markets, or in the case of Great Britain, a fully deregulated market. Little research however exists concerning the counter mo... Read More about Bus Franchising in English and Scottish regions – viable solution or unfeasible instrument?.

Solar-Powered Active Road Studs and Highway Infrastructure: Effect on Vehicle Speeds (2021)
Journal Article
Llewellyn, R., Cowie, J., & Fountas, G. (2021). Solar-Powered Active Road Studs and Highway Infrastructure: Effect on Vehicle Speeds. Energies, 14(21), 7209. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14217209

Vehicle speeds have a direct relationship with the severity of road crashes and may influence their probability of occurrence. Solar-powered active road studs have been shown to have a positive effect on driver confidence, but their impact on vehicle... Read More about Solar-Powered Active Road Studs and Highway Infrastructure: Effect on Vehicle Speeds.

A Theoretical and Evidence Based Assessment of the Economics of Last Mile Delivery Consolidation (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowie, J., & Fisken, K. (2019, December). A Theoretical and Evidence Based Assessment of the Economics of Last Mile Delivery Consolidation. Paper presented at 6th International Workshop on Sustainable Road Freight, University of Cambridge

Much research literature suggests that one mechanism through which the sustainability of road freight could be enhanced within the urban context, is through consolidation of consignments over ‘the last mile’. An often cited added benefit is that thi... Read More about A Theoretical and Evidence Based Assessment of the Economics of Last Mile Delivery Consolidation.

Are Friends Electric? Rethinking City Logistics (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowie, J. (2019, October). Are Friends Electric? Rethinking City Logistics. Presented at TRI’s 5th Annual Electric Vehicle Event, Edinburgh Napier University

One commonly proposed solution to urban freight transport issues is the idea of consolidation over the last mile (through urban consolidation centres, UCC). Despite this strong focus, such initiatives have a horrendous commercial record, with very f... Read More about Are Friends Electric? Rethinking City Logistics.

Minimum efficient scale in container port operations over the very long run – is it increasing and does that matter? (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowie, J., & Monios, J. (2019, June). Minimum efficient scale in container port operations over the very long run – is it increasing and does that matter?. Paper presented at 27th Annual Conference of the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), Athens, Greece

This paper calculates the Minimum Efficient Scale (MES) of container port operations, which, despite significant economic analyses of port efficiency and productivity, has been addressed only rarely thus far. The research also explores the extent to... Read More about Minimum efficient scale in container port operations over the very long run – is it increasing and does that matter?.

Delivering on sustainable logistics by thinking inside the box – a case study of a successful business model (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowie, J., & Fisken, K. (2019, May). Delivering on sustainable logistics by thinking inside the box – a case study of a successful business model. Paper presented at 22nd annual Scottish Transport Applications and Research (STAR), Glasgow Caledonian University

Much research and EU research funding has been devoted to identifying the key factors that lead to a financially sustainable urban freight consolidation centre. Despite much ‘success’ with this at the academic level, to date no EU funded pilot has s... Read More about Delivering on sustainable logistics by thinking inside the box – a case study of a successful business model.

Efficiency, productivity and returns to scale in ports: a comparison of data envelopment analysis and econometric estimation with application to Caribbean Small Island Developing States (2018)
Journal Article
Julien, S.-A., Cowie, J., & Monios, J. (2020). Efficiency, productivity and returns to scale in ports: a comparison of data envelopment analysis and econometric estimation with application to Caribbean Small Island Developing States. Maritime Economics and Logistics, 22(2), 239-264. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41278-018-0115-y

This paper investigates the evolutionary technical efficiency and productivity of ports in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The focus is primarily on Caribbean SIDS, benchmarked against two comparator groups: major top ports and ports in other... Read More about Efficiency, productivity and returns to scale in ports: a comparison of data envelopment analysis and econometric estimation with application to Caribbean Small Island Developing States.

The bus industry in Scotland – just a bunch of profiteering opportunists? (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowie, J. (2018, May). The bus industry in Scotland – just a bunch of profiteering opportunists?. Paper presented at Scottish Transport Applications and Research (STAR) 2018

The Transport Act 1985 privatised and deregulated the bus industry in Great Britain outside of London, with the intention of creating a competitive industry that would compete for patronage through the economic principles of contestability and consum... Read More about The bus industry in Scotland – just a bunch of profiteering opportunists?.

Long term productivity gains in the privatised British passenger rail industry – A case study of Malmquist productivity index measurements (2018)
Journal Article
Cowie, J. (2018). Long term productivity gains in the privatised British passenger rail industry – A case study of Malmquist productivity index measurements. Research in Transportation Business & Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2018.01.001

This paper assesses long term productivity in the privatised British passenger rail industry using a Malmquist productivity index (MPI) generated using three different efficiency assessment methods, namely data envelopment analysis (DEA), corrected o... Read More about Long term productivity gains in the privatised British passenger rail industry – A case study of Malmquist productivity index measurements.

Britain’s railways were nationalised 70 years ago – let’s not do it again (2018)
Newspaper / Magazine
Cowie, J. (2018). Britain’s railways were nationalised 70 years ago – let’s not do it again

It is 70 years since the era of public rail ownership began in Great Britain. The British Transport Commission formally took control of the operation and planning of the whole network, having been brought into existence by Clement Attlee’s Labour gov... Read More about Britain’s railways were nationalised 70 years ago – let’s not do it again.

Contract Re-Award and Consumer Sovereignty, the case of British Rail Privatisation. (2017)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowie, J. (2017, August). Contract Re-Award and Consumer Sovereignty, the case of British Rail Privatisation. Paper presented at Competition and Ownership in Land Based Public Transport (Thredbo 15), Stockholm

The Railways Act 1993 divided and sold off the state owned British Rail in its entirety and introduced competitive tender into the industry. This paper reviews the industry over the period 2000 to 2015 to determine firstly if TOCs have produced outc... Read More about Contract Re-Award and Consumer Sovereignty, the case of British Rail Privatisation..

Public Transport Regulation (2016)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowie, J. (2016, September). Public Transport Regulation. Presented at Presentation given to a delegation from the Chinese Minstry of Transport, Bruntsfield Hotel, Edinburgh

Does rail freight market liberalisation lead to market entry? A case study of the British privatisation experience (2014)
Journal Article
Cowie, J. (2015). Does rail freight market liberalisation lead to market entry? A case study of the British privatisation experience. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 14, 4-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2014.10.004

This paper considers developments since privatisation in the British rail freight market from both general and production supply side perspectives. It also reviews the literature relating to the US railroad partial deregulation in order to identify t... Read More about Does rail freight market liberalisation lead to market entry? A case study of the British privatisation experience.

Performance, profit and consumer sovereignty in the English deregulated bus market (2014)
Journal Article
Cowie, J. (2014). Performance, profit and consumer sovereignty in the English deregulated bus market. Research in Transportation Economics, 48, 255-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2014.09.049

The pure free market will theoretically result in economic efficiency being achieved. At the heart of this proposition is the idea of consumer sovereignty, where producers that best meet the material wants of consumers will be the most successful. Wi... Read More about Performance, profit and consumer sovereignty in the English deregulated bus market.

Reregulating the deregulated, a case study of the Scottish Bus market. (2014)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowie, J. (2014, January). Reregulating the deregulated, a case study of the Scottish Bus market. Paper presented at 46th Universities Transport Studies Group Conference

Much research surrounds the move from publicly owned and operated bus markets to publicly controlled and privately operated markets, or in the case of Great Britain, a fully deregulated market. Little research however exists concerning the counter mo... Read More about Reregulating the deregulated, a case study of the Scottish Bus market..