Postal Strategies in a Digital and Green Transition: Universal Service, Challenges, and Innovations

This volume presents original essays by leading researchers and practitioners in postal and delivery economics, drawn from the 32nd Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics, held in Berne (Switzerland), on 29-31 May 2024. The book explores the evolving dynamics of the postal and delivery sector in a rapidly changing digital and environmental landscape, offering insights into regulatory challenges, technological advancements, financial sustainability, competition, and policy innovation. Building upon previous editions, this book continues to reflect the convergence of economic, technological, and regulatory transformations shaping the industry. It critically examines the future of postal services by addressing issues such as the evolution of the universal service obligations (USO) in the face of digital communication and parcel growth; the role of new pricing models, financial reforms, and regulatory frameworks in the sustainability of the sector; leveraging digital innovation and green transitions for improved efficiency, competition, and environmental performance; analytical and methodological approaches for optimizing postal networks and policy decisions. As such, this book will be useful for graduate students and professors interested in postal and regulatory economics as well as postal administrations, consulting firms, and federal government departments.