Transport institutions and politics in the UK and Germany: Who matters in making transport policy decisions?

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 2,0 (B), Aston University (School of Applied Science), course: Transport Institutions and Politics, language: English, abstract: The main aspect of this work is a report on who matters in making decisions on transport projects and policies. The roles of both individuals and groups involved in the decision making process on transport projects and transport policies will be examined. In this context, transport projects are for example new infrastructure projects, whereas transport policies refer to the regulation and pricing of transport. First, the British system of decision making in transport is described, followed by a brief description of the German system and a comparison of both systems. Then the influence of pressure groups is examined and some examples of successful pressure group interference are presented. Two case studies examine the decision making process in practice and illustrate the variety of involved parties. Finally, some major conclusions are drawn, reflecting the author's personal opinion.