收费公路特许经营提高了运营效率吗?——基于双轨制运营模式的准自然实验

Toll Road Concession and Operation Efficiency:A Quasi-natural Experiment Based on the Dual-track Operation Mode

在高质量发展与交通强国建设背景下,政府鼓励社会资本以特许经营方式参与基础设施供给以期改善供给质量和效率。以监测收费公路特许经营实施效果并揭示特许经营作用边界为目的,基于28个省(自治区、直辖市)收费公路实行特许经营与政府收费双轨制运营模式的准自然实验,使用倾向得分匹配模型和多元调节回归模型进行了实证分析。研究得出:全国平均来看收费公路实施特许经营显著改善了运营效率;然而,分区域检验发现特许经营仅在东部地区有效而在中西部并没有明显的效果。重要原因在于特许经营对运营效率的影响受制度环境的正向调节,只有在制度环境较为完善的地区特许经营实施才能发挥其效率优势,在制度环境较差的地区运营模式的转变对效率难以产生积极作用。研究表明,特许经营模式本身并不一定能够降本增效,中西部地方政府应该从法律法规、行业管制及市场主体等方面不断完善特许经营制度的实施环境,为特许经营有效实施提供良好的制度保障。

In the context of high-quality development and the construction of a strong transportation country,the government encourages social capital to participate in infrastructure supply in the form of concession in order to improve the quality and efficiency of supply.To monitor the implementation effect of toll road concession and reveal its function boundary,this paper conducted an empirical test based on the quasi-natural experiment of two different operation modes of concession and government toll in 28 provinces by using propensity score matching model and multiple regression model.The results show that: on the national average,the implementation of concession on toll roads had significantly improved the operation efficiency;however,the sub-regional test found that concession was only effective in the eastern region and had no significant effect in the central and western regions.The reason was that the impact of concession on operation efficiency was positively moderated by the institutional environment,and concession can only exert its efficiency advantages when the institutional environment was relatively perfect.It is difficult for the transformation of operation mode to have a positive effect on efficiency in regions with poor institutional environment.The research shows that the concession model itself is not necessarily able to reduce costs and increase efficiency,and the local governments in central and western China should constantly improve the implementation environment of concession system from the aspects of laws and regulations,industry regulation and market subjects,so as to provide a good institutional guarantee for the effective implementation of concession.