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An empirical analysis of the spatial variability of fuel prices in the United States

Bergeaud, A; Raimbault, J; (2020) An empirical analysis of the spatial variability of fuel prices in the United States. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice , 132 pp. 131-143. 10.1016/j.tra.2019.10.016. Green open access

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Abstract

In this paper, we use a newly constructed dataset to study the geographic distribution of fuel price across the US at a very high resolution. We study the influence of socio-economic variables through different and complementary statistical methods. We highlight an optimal spatial range roughly corresponding to stationarity scale, and significant influence of variables such as median income, wage with a non-simple spatial behavior that confirms the importance of geographical particularities. On the other hand, multi-level modeling reveals a strong influence of the state in the level of price but also of some local characteristics including population density. Through the combination of such methods, we unveil the superposition of a governance process with a local socio-economical spatial process. The influence of population density on prices is furthermore consistent with a minimal theoretical model of competition between gas stations, that we introduce and solve numerically. We discuss developments and applications, including the elaboration of locally parametrized car-regulation policies.

Type: Article
Title: An empirical analysis of the spatial variability of fuel prices in the United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2019.10.016
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2019.10.016
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10087446
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