Abstract
Equity is one of the three major issues for sustainable development. It has recently been reported that the Paris region is one of the most expensive urban areas in Europe for private car users. However, incomes are very unequally distributed, which is responsible for many problems, one of which is inequality in automobile expenditure.
In the context of stiff competition with Pariss well-developed public transport system, this inequality in user expenditure is of crucial importance. Since car use is heavily taxed (especially fuel) and public transport is substantially subsidized, it should also be of concern to policy makers.
This study deals with three general questions:
1. Are there any links between disparities with regard to income and car ownership among private car users in Paris and inequality in their expenditure? If so, what form do they take and how do they operate?
2. How is inequality changing?
3. Can we analyse the change?
The answers to the above questions are important in establishing means by which to monitor changes in inequality with regard to the expenditure of private car users, as a consequence of the social and economic changes which affect them.
Our study involves three major steps:
1. The relationship between income and car ownership rate has been analzed, together with the distribution of these between users.
2. With reference to the car ownership rate, inequality and redistributiveness indicators have been applied to a set of variables representing private car expenses.
3. The dynamic of these inequalities has been analyzed.
This study was conducted using the database provided by the 1974 to 1994 Family Expenditure Survey for the Paris region