In 1990 Richard O. Goss wrote four seminal articles about the economic principles underlying port policies, which were published in Maritime Policy and Management under the title Economic Policies and Seaports. These explored the economic functions of seaports, the diversity of port institutions, the need for port authorities, and the strategies that ports might adopt to promote port efficiencies. Economic principles included the existence of seaports for the benefit of traders, the use of competition to maximise public welfare, the customisation of port institutions to meet local circumstances, and the need to involve all levels of government in seaport governance.
The latest port study of PortEconomics member Mary Brooks, co-authored with Sheila Farrell, titled Port policy: are the Goss principles still relevant today?, looks at the relevance of these principles today, taking into account changes that have occurred since 1990, and their incorporation into port reforms in various parts of the world. Finally it asks if there are any additional principles that need to be considered today.
The port study published in the 11(5) issue of International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics and the authors’ version can be freely downloaded here.
