EXPLAINING THE DISTRIBUTION OF STATE FUNDS FOR NATIONAL ROAD INVESTMENTS BETWEEN COUNTIES IN NORWAY - ENGINEERING STANDARDS OR VOTE TRADING

Road investment planning in Norway is officially based on cost-benefit analyses, but the results of such analyses have been shown to hate li ttle impact on policy. This paper analyses the distribution of state i nvestment funds for national roads between counties in Norway, trying to find a rational choice explanation of the departure of road investm ent policy from cost-benefit considerations. Three models are proposed to explain the distribution of investment funds between counties: (1) the highway sufficiency rating model, (2) the net economic benefit mo del and (3) the vote trading model. Analyses for 1990-93 and 1994-97 i nvestment planning terms support the highway sufficiency rating model and the vote trading model. The net economic benefit model is not supp orted. The highway sufficiency rating model and the vote trading model are highly correlated, making their relative explanatory contribution s impossible to identify.