Commuting behaviour in sparsely populated areas: evidence from northern Sweden

From a Swedish regional development policy perspective, increased long-distance commuting is viewed as a means for creating larger local labor markets and thus stimulating regional economic growth. One of the prerequisites for such a development is that individuals are willing to commute longer distances. In the context of a relatively peripheral and sparsely populated area in northern Sweden, this paper aims to study commuting behavior and factors influencing individuals' propensities to commute longer distances. Using a longitudinal set of geo-referenced data, individuals' commuting propensities were estimated in a binary logistic regression, and significant effects were found for a range of socio-economic and demographic factors. The results also show that the local labor market's geographical structure is important. Overall, most individuals commute within their locality of residence and women commute shorter distances than men do - a pattern that has been relatively stable since the beginning of the 1990s. This article attempts to outline causes and effects of this commuting behavior, which are important to understand in the development of regional development policies aimed at increasing geographical labor mobility.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2007.04.004
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VG8-4P0VD0C-1/1/0514530e52d57ef19bcdac07052c469b
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VG8-4P0VD0C-1/2/b6add378073bda5f1e8b2e802bd65705
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/09666923
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Elsevier
• Authors:
  • Sandow, Erika
• Publication Date: 2008-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 14-27
• Serial:
  • Journal of Transport Geography
  • Volume: 16
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0966-6923
  • Serial URL: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jtrangeo

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commuting; Demographics; Geography; Labor market; Longitudinal studies; Regression analysis; Rural areas; Socioeconomic factors; Travel behavior; Trip length
• Geographic Terms: Sweden
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Economics; Geotechnology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01088719
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 25 2008 2:35PM