Microdata analysis of the consequences of free trade port policy: the case of Iran free zones

ABSTRACT

Creating free trade zones as a policy to motivate new investment and improve the local economic indicators might be of some benefits. Following of this policy in Iranian major port, however, resulted vice versa by aggravating the current account balance that is higher imports and the same horizon diminished export sums. We derive the micro data of trade for the Iranian major Imam port according to code arrangements of harmonic system (HS), which permits the clustering of different goods categories. Then we extracted the sums of survey data for the years before and after Imam port became free trade zone and applied fixed effect difference in difference (DID) method to capture the heterogeneity of unobserved variables. Our control port of analysis was Rajaee port the policy did not implemented. Results show that just as Imam free port’s Current Account Balance deteriorated by increasing import and dampening of export sums.     

石衡沧港城际铁路互联互通方案研究

突出功能定位,发挥路网互联互通作用,是高速铁路互联互通方案研究的关键。在阐述石衡沧港城际铁路互联互通现状的基础上,针对石衡沧港城际铁路客流特点和功能定位,分析石衡沧港城际铁路石家庄铁路枢纽、衡水铁路枢纽、沧州铁路枢纽和黄骅铁路枢纽等互联互通主要节点枢纽,通过衡水、沧州和黄骅铁路枢纽比选方案分析,提出石衡沧港城际铁路在通道中的枢纽方案,为区域连接线、城际铁路在方案互联互通作用提供研究支撑。     

白洋港铁水联运车船直取模式研究

白洋港作为长江三峡的核心内陆港,是工业输出港、翻坝转运港和西部出海港,主要服务于白洋工业园区,担当西北地区物流陆水联运的作用。为实现白洋港铁水联运的无缝衔接,在阐述白洋港铁水联运模式及作业流程的基础上,针对白洋港既有铁水联运模式存在的问题,提出白洋港铁水联运车船直取模式,从车船直取模式设施布局及作业流程进行分析,达到压缩无效作业时间、提高白洋港铁水联运效率、释放技术站作业能力等效果,实现白洋港铁水联运效率的提升。     

基于机器学习的斜坡堤越浪量预测方法研究

针对斜坡堤越浪量预测方法,分别建立集成神经网络(ensemble neural network,ENN)、随机森林(random for-eset,RF)和支持向量回归机(suppport vector regression,SVR)3种机器学习模型对斜坡堤越浪量进行预测,并利用决定系数R2和均方根误差RMSE来评估模型性能.最后,对3种模型的性能进行分析.结果显示,集成神经网络模型的决定系数R2和均方根误差RM S E分别约为0.96和0.0018,随机森林模型的决定系数R2和均方根误差RMSE分别约为0.97和0.0014,支持向量回归机模型的决定系数R2和均方根误差RMSE分别约为0.94和0.002.对比发现,3种模型的决定系数都达到0.9以上,都具有较高的预测精度,随机森林相比其他两个模型精度更高.     

黑河口岸对俄贸易发展中存在的问题及对策建议

从1987年黑河口岸打开了终止20年的对苏边境贸易大门开始,其对俄贸易规模持续扩大,进出口商品结构日趋合理,但总体对俄贸易规模仍较小,还存在地区产业结构不合理,对俄贸易自主性有限且渗透程度低,基础设施建设薄弱,对俄经贸合作软环境较差等问题。提出加快黑河产业结构优化升级,培养优势特色产业,完善口岸通道布局与功能,优化对俄经贸软环境等推动黑河口岸对俄贸易的对策建议。     

Disclosure as a tool in stakeholder relations management: a longitudinal study on the Port of Rotterdam

This study applies stakeholder management principles to the port domain. We provide a conceptual framework for evaluating the communication strategies a (landlord) Port Authority (PA) relies on in the management of its relevant stakeholders and the adoption of disclosure to critical issues. The theoretical arguments are supported by empirical evidences from the Port of Rotterdam (PoR), i.e. a major port which leverages disclosure to successfully manage stakeholders and support the implementation of corporate strategy. The research questions are addressed using a content analysis on the annual reports (ARs) of PoR in the period 2000–2012. The overall research design enables the investigation of PA disclosure as a tool for managing the evolving interests of stakeholders from a longitudinal perspective. The PoR case shows that the relative importance of topics reported in the ARs change over time, as a result of external pressures and internal key events. The outcomes demonstrate the growing attention of PoR on topics relevant to the broader community (e.g. environment and safety/security) after a period characterised by a prominent focus on financial and governance issues. Besides, key breakthrough forces stimulating the shifts in landlord communication strategies are identified and discussed. Finally, by suggesting an indirect approach to evaluate how PA prioritises its salient stakeholders, the paper adds to extant port literature and brings methodological implications.     

Institutional plasticity in public-private interactions: Why Japan’s port reform failed

This study applies the concept of institutional plasticity to analyze institutional change, and investigates why actors are unable to change institutions even when change is apparently necessary. Employing historical institutionalism, the analysis focuses on public-private interactions in the recent port reform in Japan. The study’s findings reveal four limits to institutional plasticity due to the respective roles of key actors – the central government, the local port authority, and business entities – in the process of policy reform. The study suggests that while institutional plasticity may enable variation within an existing developmental trajectory or even creation of an entirely new path, insufficient institutional plasticity constrains the creation of new institutions and inhibits institutional change.     

Container yard template planning under uncertain maritime market

A yard template determines the assignment of spaces in a yard for arriving vessels. Fluctuation of demand for freight transportation brings new challenges for making a robust yard template when facing uncertain maritime market. A model is proposed for yard template planning considering random numbers of containers that will be loaded onto vessels that visit the port periodically. Traffic congestions and multiple schedule cycle times for vessel arrival patterns are also considered. Moreover, a meta-heuristic method is developed for solving the model in large-scale cases. Numerical experiments are conducted to validate effectiveness and efficiency of the model.     

Co-evolution of the strategic reorientation of port actors: insights from the Port of Rotterdam and the Port of Barcelona

This paper explores changes in the strategic orientation of port authorities and terminal operators towards the hinterland network in the Ports of Rotterdam and Barcelona. Port authorities and terminal operators are economically, institutionally and geographically related organizations. The argument here is that such organizations experience a mutually influential and interactive effect in their strategy over time. The research explores the evolution of the market, institutional and governance forces behind these organizations’ strategic orientation, while acknowledging their interdependence and interrelationship. To that end, it builds a conceptual framework analysing these organizations’ strategies in different points in time. It draws upon firms and port theories to design a co-evolutionary framework, which is later refined with insights gained from an empirical study of the port context.     

Port geography at the crossroads with human geography: between flows and spaces

Port research is not a new field of interest for human geographers, evidenced by numerous conceptual models and empirical cases of port evolution and development in the literature. However, several critical questions remain unanswered, notably the exact position of port geography as a subdiscipline within human geography in the past, present and future. Based on a pluralistic approach, the paper analyzes the changing waves and development of port geography as a sub-discipline of human geography, with a special focus on whether port geography has experienced a paradigm shift and, if so, when, why, and how. Also, through analyzing the major terrains of port geography research from the macro perspective, it brings a new lease of life to port geography in this rapidly changing world.