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Fixing Swiss Potholes: The Importance of Improvements

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  • Fischer, Andreas
  • Dueker, Michael

Abstract

The objective of this note is to document the importance of improvements relative to the other forms of capital spending and to determine whether improvements have similar cyclical properties as maintenance and repair. To shed some light on these issues, we look at a unique data set on Swiss road spending. The data on road spending are broken down into new roads, road improvements, and road maintenance and repair (hereafter road maintenance). The long-run evidence finds that road improvement is larger in size than road maintenance and exhibits similar dynamic properties as road maintenance. This result strengthens the view of McGratten and Schmitz (1999) that countercyclical spending of firms on maintenance (and on improvement) of existing capital is too large to be ignored.

Suggested Citation

  • Fischer, Andreas & Dueker, Michael, 2002. "Fixing Swiss Potholes: The Importance of Improvements," CEPR Discussion Papers 3159, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:3159
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    8. King, Robert G. & Rebelo, Sergio T., 1999. "Resuscitating real business cycles," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & M. Woodford (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 14, pages 927-1007, Elsevier.
    9. Ellen R. McGrattan & James A. Schmitz, 1999. "Maintenance and repair: too big to ignore," Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, vol. 23(Fall), pages 2-13.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bitros, George C., 2009. "The Theorem of Proportionality in Mainstream Capital Theory: An Assessment of its Conceptual Foundations," MPRA Paper 17436, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Moreno-Quintero, Eric & Fowkes, Tony & Watling, David, 2013. "Modelling planner–carrier interactions in road freight transport: Optimisation of road maintenance costs via overloading control," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 68-83.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Maintenance and repair; Improvements; Capital utilization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E30 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

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