Rethinking Power Sector Reform in the Developing World

Rethinking Power Sector Reform in the Developing World PDF Author: Vivien Foster
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464814430
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 482

Get Book Here

Book Description
During the 1990s, a new paradigm for power sector reform was put forward emphasizing the restructuring of utilities, the creation of regulators, the participation of the private sector, and the establishment of competitive power markets. Twenty-five years later, only a handful of developing countries have fully implemented these Washington Consensus policies. Across the developing world, reforms were adopted rather selectively, resulting in a hybrid model, in which elements of market orientation coexist with continued state dominance of the sector. This book aims to revisit and refresh thinking on power sector reform approaches for developing countries. The approach relies heavily on evidence from the past, drawing both on broad global trends and deep case material from 15 developing countries. It is also forward looking, considering the implications of new social and environmental policy goals, as well as the emerging technological disruptions. A nuanced picture emerges. Although regulation has been widely adopted, practice often falls well short of theory, and cost recovery remains an elusive goal. The private sector has financed a substantial expansion of generation capacity; yet, its contribution to power distribution has been much more limited, with efficiency levels that can sometimes be matched by well-governed public utilities. Restructuring and liberalization have been beneficial in a handful of larger middle-income nations but have proved too complex for most countries to implement. Based on these findings, the report points to three major policy implications. First, reform efforts need to be shaped by the political and economic context of the country. The 1990s reform model was most successful in countries that had reached certain minimum conditions of power sector development and offered a supportive political environment. Second, countries found alternative institutional pathways to achieving good power sector outcomes, making a case for greater pluralism. Among the top performers, some pursued the full set of market-oriented reforms, while others retained a more important role for the state. Third, reform efforts should be driven and tailored to desired policy outcomes and less preoccupied with following a predetermined process, particularly since the twenty-first-century century agenda has added decarbonization and universal access to power sector outcomes. The Washington Consensus reforms, while supportive of the twenty-first-century century agenda, will not be able to deliver on them alone and will require complementary policy measures

Regulation by Contract

Regulation by Contract PDF Author: Tonci Bakovic
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821355923
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 106

Get Book Here

Book Description
Governments and investors in many developing countries have criticised the performance of recently privatised electricity distribution companies, particularly in relation to the design of regulatory systems. This report examines whether regulation by contract or a combination of regulation by contract and regulatory independence would provide a better option.

Public Private Partnerships for Urban Water Utilities

Public Private Partnerships for Urban Water Utilities PDF Author: Philippe Marin
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821379577
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Get Book Here

Book Description
'Public-Private Partnerships for Urban Water Utilities: A Review of Experiences in Developing Countries' analyzes the market growth of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the developing world since 1990, and the performance of more than 65 large water PPP projects representing more than 100 million people for access, service quality, operational efficiency, and tariff levels. Although a relatively small portion of the water utilities in the developing world are operated under PPPs (about 7 percent in 2007), the urban population served by private water operators has grown every year since 1990. Despite many difficulties encountered by PPP projects and a few contract terminations, a large majority of contracts awarded since 1990 are still in place. The track record for improving service and efficiency reaffirms the value of PPPs to help turn around poorly performing water utilities, even though the level of private financing did not match initial expectations. Over time, a more realistic market has developed, the number of private investors from developing countries has grown, and contract designs have become more pragmatic concerning risk allocations between partners. The water sector has many features that set it apart from other infrastructure sectors. This book suggests the need for careful consideration of those specificities to successfully involve private operators. Although concessions with private financing have worked in a few places, contractual arrangements that combine private operation with public financing appear to be the most sustainable option in many countries. Policy makers, stakeholders, and donors need to remain heavily engaged in the water sector, especially in the poorest countries and during a global financial crisis. This book contributes to a better understanding of the various options to tackle the many challenges of providing water and sanitation services to urban populations in the developing world.

Utility Benchmarking and Regulation in Developing Countries

Utility Benchmarking and Regulation in Developing Countries PDF Author: Silver Mugisha
Publisher: IWA Publishing
ISBN: 1843392577
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Get Book Here

Book Description
Utility performance, especially in developing countries is still working toward the standard necessary to deliver best practice. Utility Benchmarking and Regulation in Developing Countries examines performance monitoring and regulation as a prominent efficiency enhancement tool and clarifies many of the unknowns regarding the design and approach surrounding the area of utility management. Principles and practices are linked in a way that is informative and accessible, highlighting the challenges facing those who are trying to improve performance in the water sector. Operational settings are complex and unpredictable in developing countries due to inadequate infrastructure planning and this book makes clear which systems work best in these situations. Utility Benchmarking and Regulation in Developing Countries discusses performance monitoring in the critical areas of utility management that achieve sustainable performance goals: Performance development planning Modes of performance monitoring Provocative approaches to incentives creation Monitoring through high incentive plans Customer relations monitoring Pro-poor oriented monitoring Careful use of partial performance indicators Proposed indicators for assessing governance incentives A case study on the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Uganda is included in the book detailing the difficulties in discerning performance progress based on partial performance indicators. It underlines disparities in basing performance conclusions on partial performance indicators on one hand and aggregate analysis using modern benchmarking toolkits on the other. This is an excellent handbook for utility monitors or regulators whose primary duty is to oversee performance management. It is a valuable resource for decision-makers, analysts, and policy-makers and can be used in capacity-building programs (both in-house and in universities) around the world.

Utilities Reforms and Corruption in Developing Countries

Utilities Reforms and Corruption in Developing Countries PDF Author: Antonio Estache
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category : Cell phones
Languages : en
Pages : 30

Get Book Here

Book Description
This paper shows empirically that "privatization" in the energy, telecommunications, and water sectors, and the introduction of independent regulators in those sectors, have not always had the expected effects on access, affordability, or quality of services. It also shows that corruption leads to adjustments in the quantity, quality, and price of services consistent with the profit-maximizing behavior that one would expect from monopolies in the sector. The results suggest that privatization and the introduction of independent regulators have, at best, only partial effects on the consequences of corruption for access, affordability, and quality of utility services.

Governance of Indian State Power Utilities

Governance of Indian State Power Utilities PDF Author: Sheoli Pargal
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 146480303X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 133

Get Book Here

Book Description
This review of the Indian power sector at the state level finds that priority should be given to implementing a robust regulatory framework and governance practices to ensure better utility performance.

Handbook for Evaluating Infrastructure Regulatory Systems

Handbook for Evaluating Infrastructure Regulatory Systems PDF Author: Ashley C. Brown
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821365800
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 422

Get Book Here

Book Description
More than 200 new infrastructure regulators have been created around the world in the last 15 years. They were established to encourage clear and sustainable long-term economic and legal commitments by governments and investors to encourage new investment to benefit existing and new customers. There is now considerable evidence that both investors and consumers-the two groups that were supposed to have benefited from these new regulatory systems-have often been disappointed with their performance. The fundamental premise of this book is that regulatory systems can be successfully reformed only if there are independent, objective and public evaluations of their performance. Just as one goes to a medical doctor for a regular health checkup, it is clear that infrastructure regulation would also benefit from periodic checkups. This book provides a general framework as well as detailed practical guidance on how to perform such "regulatory checkups."

Regulating Public Services

Regulating Public Services PDF Author: Emmanuelle Auriol
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108833950
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 455

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book provides the tools needed to analyse the present and the future of economic regulation.

Reforming Infrastructure

Reforming Infrastructure PDF Author: Ioannis Nicolaos Kessides
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 328

Get Book Here

Book Description
Electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, railways, and water supply, are often vertically and horizontally integrated state monopolies. This results in weak services, especially in developing and transition economies, and for poor people. Common problems include low productivity, high costs, bad quality, insufficient revenue, and investment shortfalls. Many countries over the past two decades have restructured, privatized and regulated their infrastructure. This report identifies the challenges involved in this massive policy redirection. It also assesses the outcomes of these changes, as well as their distributional consequences for poor households and other disadvantaged groups. It recommends directions for future reforms and research to improve infrastructure performance, identifying pricing policies that strike a balance between economic efficiency and social equity, suggesting rules governing access to bottleneck infrastructure facilities, and proposing ways to increase poor people's access to these crucial services.

Regulatory Governance in Developing Countries

Regulatory Governance in Developing Countries PDF Author: Martin Minogue
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 362

Get Book Here

Book Description
The past decade has seen a quickening of the pace and extent of privatisation in developing countries. This text critically reviews regulatory reforms in developing countries, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the 'best practice' model of reform.