The impact of specialization, ownership, competition and regulation on efficiency: a case study of Indian seaports

Artikel

We develop a two-stage formulation to estimate seaport performance and to understand the drivers of efficiency, which could potentially include specialization, ownership, competition and tariff regulation. The first-stage non-parametric, slacks-based measure estimates the technical efficiency of each port. For the second-stage analysis, we develop a set of contextual variables including an absolute measure of specialization and a berth-level measure of ownership structure. To measure competition, we develop spatial measures that quantify the level of competition as a function of distance. We subsequently apply this formulation to major Indian seaports, covering a period of 21 years, from 1995 to 2015. The first-stage results suggest that average seaport efficiency has increased gradually over time. The second-stage fixed effects regressions show that specialization and external stakeholder participation have significant positive impacts on seaport performance. Perhaps surprisingly, we find that, in a tiered governance framework, competition between major seaports and local seaports has a significant negative impact on performance, potentially due to excessive infrastructure. Finally, changes in the regulatory mechanism over time are shown to be efficiency improving.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Journal: Maritime Economics & Logistics ; ISSN: 1479-294X ; Volume: 24 ; Year: 2021 ; Issue: 3 ; Pages: 507-536 ; London: Palgrave Macmillan UK

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Handel, Kommunikation, Verkehr
• Subject: Indian seaports ; Technical efficiency ; Specialization ; Ownership ; Competition ; Tariff regulation

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Adler, Nicole ; Hirte, Georg ; Kumar, Shravana ; Niemeier, Hans-Martin
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Palgrave Macmillan UK
• (where): London
• (when): 2021

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.1057/s41278-021-00200-y
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET