The Productive Efficiency of Container Terminals: An Application to Korea and the Uk (Plymouth Studies in Contemporary Shipping and Logistics)

This text aims to review critically the characteristics of international port privatization together with the economic theory of privatization, to apply an econmetric technique for efficiency measurement to container ports in Korea and the UK, and to assess the policy implications of the results obtained. The book asssesses policy implications for the Korean (The Republic of Korea - South Korea) government and port authority, paying attention to the privatization strategy and its implementation within the nation's seaports and terminals. Following an introductory chapter, the book reviews the Korean national economy with an emphasis on trade promotion strategy and its effects on forign trade, the role of the public sector in the process of economic development and the economic policies of privatization and deregulation. It then details the importance of Korean ports to the national economy and examines the increasing container traffic, and port and terminal development plans. Economic theories and empirical evidence relating to privatization are critically assessed and the practice of port privatization is also evaluated. The final chapters of the book covers the findings of analytical application studies of container ports in Korea and the UK, and goes on to interpret those findings and look at their implications for port privatization in Korea.