7 - Transactions

Summary

In analyzing the existing and future transportation system in general, and the testing and deployment of automated and self-driving vehicles in particular, this chapter demonstrates that the application of our framework provides a good understanding of the interdependencies between the technological and institutional dimensions at stake. An analysis of both the vertical coordination between the layers along these two dimensions, respectively, and the horizontal alignment between them offers in-depth insights about the complexity of the transportation network and the conditions to be met if the expected services are to be delivered. The changes in the technological architecture, with the introduction of technological designs and operation of automated vehicles, and their interdependence with macro-institutional values, in particular safety but also security, privacy, and efficiency, offer a rich opportunity to analyze the structural complexities at stake. In this chapter, we focus on the layer of transactions: transactions between car manufacturers and their suppliers, between car manufacturers and the providers of the transportation services, and between these providers and their customers. The importance of the alignment between technical operations and micro-institutions is illustrated by the fatal accident involving an automated test car on March 19, 2018 in a street in Tempe, Arizona.