This book investigates the link between institutions and public policies
with specific reference to transport. It opens by examining the main
arguments for the establishment of metropolitan transport authorities.
The potential impacts of institutional change on the policy efficiency
of institutions are then examined. Key problems for institutional
designers are identified, showing how they can hamper the achievement of
desired policy outcomes through institutional solutions. Two in-depth
case studies on institutional change in metropolitan transport (in
London and Barcelona) are presented with a view to testing the
aforementioned hypotheses and providing insights into the ways in which
the two transport institutions were reformed. The concluding chapter
identifies lessons for institutional designers and highlights the policy
results that may be expected from the constitution of metropolitan
transport authorities.