Activities

Economics, Equity and Efficiency in Aviation Markets.

A variety of regulatory and institutional changes continue to affect air transport markets, influence the efficiency of the airlines, exercise a major influence on the way aviation infrastructure is supplied and impact supply of hardware to the aviation sector. This theme of equity and efficiency in aviation markets is one which is being developed within the Program. The implications for the aviation industry, including manufacturers, of the new market conditions was the subject of a 1996 study, "Competition and the Aviation Industry" by Lawrence Stern. In 1997 "The Challenges of International Airline Alliances" by Kenneth Button was released which explores why not all international aviation alliances work. The Program is widening its scope to embrace topics including technology assimilation, airport access issues, aircraft leasing, the development of air cargo markets and out-sourcing.

Safety and security are topics that concern air transport users. Equally, third parties are interested in ensuring that aviation is not responsible for a disproportionate amount of environmental intrusion. There is clear evidence that air transport has made positive progress in the fields of improved safety, security and environmental protection. The situation is not, however, generally thought to be ideal. The Program is active in seeking ways in which further advances may be made. A retreat was convened in 1996 to bring together senior executives, academics and those involved in safety policy to explore ways airline safety could be further improved and to examine how outside commentators could be better informed on safety matters. An Aviation Safety Training Program has been initiated as part of the educational component of the Aviation Policy Program. Additionally, participants in the Program were involved in the organization of and actively participated in the 1997 "White House Conference on Air Transport Safety." This theme is being extended to examine the implications for aviation of emerging national and international policies relating to environmental protection, including those linked to airport access.

To better meet the needs of air travelers, employees in the industry, airline companies and suppliers, and those concerned with the wider social implications of air transport appropriate institutional arrangements are essential. There is a need to continually modify policy to meet changing social priorities and to confront technological changes. Those involved with the Program have considerable expertise in institutional issues and have been involved in a number of debates concerning organizational and managerial reforms affecting aviation. A study of the "The FAA and Learning Organizations" by Darryl Jenkins, Roger Stough and Kingsley Haynes was published in 1996. Further, actors in the various parts of the aviation sector and those responsible for its regulation require the best possible quantitative information. To this end, the Program is using data bases from the Aviation Foundation that include extensive information on airline costs and prices and other relevant economic and financial information and is drawing upon the expertise of those associated with TIPP in modeling alternative futures to assess efficiency and equity issues.

Leadership

The activities and development of the Aviation Policy Program at George Mason University will be overseen by an International Steering Committee composed of airline and aerospace executives, senior managers of aviation infrastructure facilities, leading academics and international experts.

Faculty

Kenneth J. Button

Kenneth Button is Distinguished Research Professor in The Institute of Public Policy, George Mason University. Immediately prior to this was Conseiller in the Advisory Unit to the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris where he headed work on International Aviation. He was then on leave from being Professor of Applied Economics and Transport and Director of the Centre for Research in European Economics and Finance at Loughborough University and VSB Visiting Professor of Transport and the Environment at the Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam. He has held visiting posts at the University of British Columbia and the University of California at Berkeley and served as special advisor to the UK's House of Commons Transport Committee. He has published over 50 books and 400 articles on transport and related topics.

Jonathan Gifford is a Professor of Public Management and Policy jointly in the Department of Public and International Affairs and The Institute of Public Policy, George Mason University. He was previously in the School of Urban and Public Affairs at Carnegie Mellon University and has worked in the US Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Technology Assessment. He has edited several books on transportation and published numerous articles on transportation matters including work on transportation infrastructure planning and management, aviation policy and the use of information technology.

Kingsley Haynes is Director of The Institute of Public Policy, George Mason University and University Professor of Public Policy. He was Chair of the Department of Geography at Boston University and of the Urban Regional Analysis and Planning faculty at Indiana University and Director of the university's Regional Economic Development Institute. He was also a founding faculty member at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. His recent work has focused on innovative infrastructure financing, regional economic development and environmental questions.

Darryl Jenkins is the President of the Aviation Foundation, Research Associate in The Institute of Public Policy, George Mason University and Adjunct Professor at the Travel and Tourism Program of the George Washington University where he founded the Aviation Safety Institute and the Forum on Tourism and Aviation. He is also Chairman of the Safety Track of the White House Commission - George Washington University Conference on Aviation Security and Safety. He is the author of several books and numerous studies on aviation policy. His recent work has been in the fields of aviation safety, airline regulation, aviation administration and tourism.

Lawrence Stern was until recently Associate Director, Office of Aeronautics, NASA where he was responsible for economic analysis of the aeronautic and aviation industry. He has served as Senior Fellow at the National Academy of Engineering and was Director for Policy and Strategic Plans, Office of Space Flight, Assistant Director for Management Operations, Ames Research Center, and Director of Administration, Dryden Research Center. He currently is a Research Professor in The Institute of Public Policy, George Mason University where he has been working on, among other things, the competitiveness of the US aeronautics and aviation industry.

Roger Stough is NOVA Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University and Director of its Transportation Policy Program. He was previously Chair of the Regional Analysis and Planning Faculty at Indiana University and Associate Dean of the School of Public and Environment Affairs (Acting), Regional Economic Development Institute. Recent work has included studies of regional technology and competitiveness policy and the modeling of transport systems. He has chaired task forces of mayors and of high level officials both domestically and internationally. He has edited several books and numerous articles on regional economic development, transportation and governance.