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Nobel Laureates

In Defense of the Long-Haul/Short-Haul Discrimination


Volume: Volume 10, No. 2

Issue: Autumn 1979

Pages: pp. 706-708

Authors: David D. Friedman

Title: In Defense of the Long-Haul/Short-Haul Discrimination

Abstract: Discriminatory pricing by railroads may be better than marginal cost pricing with a subsidy of the resulting losses, since it gives the railroad correct incentives for deciding what rail lines to build. The argument, applied to long-haul/short-haul discrimination, shows that its prohibition may lead to nonoptimal construction decisions.


JEL Classification

Economics of Transportation (6150)