Framing the cross-border commuting literature: a systematic review and bibliographic analysis

Artemis Tsiopa, Philippe Gerber, Geoffrey Caruso

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Commuting, the spatial mismatch between work and residential locations, necessitates integrated urban and transport policies to mitigate its societal impacts. While cross-border commuting (CBC) is increasing and governance of border regions is on the rise beyond national borders, no systemic review of this specific commuting pattern exists. We aim to consolidate the CBC literature accumulated over the years into a coherent and synthetic framework. Our systematic review assembles an inaugural comprehensive corpus of cross-border commuting literature. It reveals three transversal key topics (transport-oriented topic, qualitative approaches versus a lack of quantitative data, and a large majority of European papers) and four sub-topics (patterns, determinants, impacts and policies). Moreover, we consolidate findings through meticulous mapping of evidence, where most links are traced between the determinants and the level of flows across borders. Finally, the discussion offers directions for future research, with an exhortation to explicitly link policies to sustainability and social concerns, and the necessity for standardised datasets for methodological comparability across cases and in alignment with general commuting research.

Original languageEnglish
Article number44
Pages (from-to)889-911
Number of pages23
JournalTransport Reviews
Volume44
Issue number4
Early online date25 Apr 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Jul 2024

Keywords

  • Commuting
  • cooperation
  • crossing borders
  • integrated policies
  • residential choice
  • transport modes and infrastructures

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