Economics of Transportation in the 21st Century
Organized by Edward L. Glaeser, James M. Poterba, and Stephen J. Redding
Supported by the US Department of Transportation through an interagency agreement with the National Science Foundation
October 24, 2025
Zoom

Friday, October 24

1:00 pm

Welcome

1:10 pm

Economic Impacts of Vehicle Automation
Chair: James Poterba, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER

Will New Driving Technologies Change the Value of Public Transportation Investments?

Imke Reimers, Cornell University
Ben Shiller, Brandeis University

1:40 pm

Evaluating the Impact of Automation in Long- Haul Trucking Using USAGE-Hwy

Catherine Taylor, U.S. Department of Transportation
Robert Waschik, Victoria University

2:10 pm

Congestion Pricing, Carpooling, and Commuter Welfare

Michael Ostrovsky, Stanford University and NBER
Michael Schwarz, Microsoft

2:40 pm

Break

2:50 pm

Panel Discussion: Vehicle Automation: The Research Frontier

Chair: Edward Glaeser, Harvard and NBER
Kara Kockelman, University of Texas
Kris Kusano, Waymo
Jinhua Zhao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3:50 pm

Break

4:00 pm

Empirical Studies of the Transportation Sector
Chair: Stephen Redding, Stanford University and NBER

Network Structure and the Efficiency Gains from Mergers: Evidence from U.S. Freight Railroads

Yanyou Chen, University of Toronto

4:30 pm

The Big Economic Consequences of Small Financial Shocks: Evidence from Minor Car Crashes

Andrew Barr, Texas A&M University and NBER
Jonathan Eggleston, U.S. Census Bureau
Steven Mello, Dartmouth College and NBER
Alexander Smith, United States Military Academy at West Point

5:00 pm

Adjourn