Policy Decision Making for Transportation Infrastructure

This dissertation is about policy decision making in transportation infrastructure. With this dissertation an attempt is made to understand factors which affect policy decisions in state governments or within the public sector. The dissertation analyzes the factors influencing policy decisions related to High Speed Rail (HSR) in the 48 contiguous states. To analyze the administrative decision making more systematically, this dissertation constructs a new decision making framework. The Eastern Three Elements (ETE) framework combines three established models in decision making. Using the ETE framework, the dissertation analyzes the reasons for the repealed Florida High Speed Rail (FHSR) and the reasons for the continuing progress of the California High Speed Rail (CHSR). By comparing the underpinning decision making, the dissertation provides factors that influence the policy decisions within state government. By recognizing these factors, the dissertation constructs hypotheses from the theoretical development, and empirically tests this underlying theory through a generalization to all states affected by the U.S. High Speed Rail Project. The finding is that the ETE framework provides a more complete analysis of the decision making in public transportation. These analyses provide evidence to assist in our understanding vis-à-vis the implications of today's public transportation system construction and public infrastructure policies.