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Paper short abstract:

This paper uses cross-country econometric analysis to explain the particularities of Latin American and former Soviet states in relation to transport consumption. A strong correlation between income inequality and transport consumption is found and discussed.

Paper long abstract:

2013 demonstrations in Brazil impressed the entire world: they started as protests against raises in public transport fares. Conflict, social mobilisation and emblematic public transport projects have given the right to connectivity a new predominant place in the Latin American public agenda. A discussion is proposed in order to understand the incorporation of transport as a right among citizens' imaginary and as a relevant dimension of states' performances in an urbanised continent. Two lens are developed. On the one hand, from a political theory point of view, the incorporation of transport as key for state's legitimacy is illustrated by reviewing a new materiality of 'sovereign promises' that contemporary states are expected to deliver to urban citizens. On the other hand, I use regression analyses on a 127 countries sample to explain possible causes of differences in transport consumption. Findings make these analyses interesting. Firstly, regional differences point to Latin America and East Europe as contrasting examples in which particular state-trajectories - structural reforms in the former and inheritances from the Soviet Union in the latter - could explain the extent in which transport is present in citizens' lives under different levels of commodification. Secondly, income inequality seems to explain an important part of differences in commodification of transport between countries. Furthermore, among measures of inequality, income concentration seems to be especially significant, turning our attention to the role of elites as a possible explanation for the extent in which transport is seen as a commodity or as a social right.