Economic Regulation of Water Companies

Economic Regulation of Water Companies PDF Author: Michael W. Klein
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description

Economic Regulation of Water Companies

Economic Regulation of Water Companies PDF Author: Michael W. Klein
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 44

Get Book Here

Book Description


Economic Regulation of Water Companies

Economic Regulation of Water Companies PDF Author: Michael Klein
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
September 1996 The key to effective regulation of water companies is to generate information that allows the regulator to make good rules and allows the interest groups to watch out for improprieties by the regulator. Both public and private water companies need regulation (of water price and quality) when real competition is not feasible. Piped water systems tend to be monopolies or to contain monopoly elements. To counteract monopoly power, regulatory mechanisms exist in all countries, as part of the executive branch of government or in more independent agencies. Regulators rule on issues of price and quality of services and sometimes also on investment performance. Pricing rules try to balance incentives to use water efficiently with social concerns, such as quality of the water supply, universal service goals, and subsidy schemes for the poor. The regulator has a countermonopoly to the water companies and may also be tempted to abuse that power. Because the regulator does not invest in fixed, immovable assets, it has more freedom than the private monopolist, who is exposed to pressures once a water system has been built. Under political pressure, the regulator may therefore be tempted to exploit the private investor by not granting prices sufficient to cover investment costs. Or the regulator may team up with the company and exploit the consumers. To guard against such behavior, the powers of the regulator should be carefully circumscribed. And the office of the regulator should be set up so as to be able to resist improper influence by different interest groups (companies, consumers, and government). The key to effective regulation is to generate information that allows the regulator to make good rules and allows the interest groups to watch out for improprieties by the regulator. The best way to generate information is to introduce multiple players in the water system in ways that enhance direct or indirect competition. In particular, it seems advisable to minimize exclusivity rights and to let companies compete for concessions with limited terms. Incentives to compete and to behave efficiently will be strongest when the owners have their own money on the line. For this reason, government-owned water companies could on average be expected to perform worse than investor-owned companies. Competent government-owned companies should be given a chance to compete on an equal footing with private companies rather than be sheltered from competition. An equal playing field will require that they not benefit from taxpayer subsidies (for example, through equity injections) but face a budget constraint as hard as that of private competitors. This paper -- a product of the Private Sector Development Department -- is part of a larger effort in the department to analyze issues arising from private participation in infrastructure.

Competition and Economic Regulation in Water

Competition and Economic Regulation in Water PDF Author: T. Ballance
Publisher: IWA Publishing
ISBN: 1843390493
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
Competition and Economic Regulation in Water: The Future of the European Water Industry reviews the main developments in economic regulation and competition in the European water industry and considers ways in which economic regulation and competition should be further developed. The book focusses on the best means of regulating or introducing competition into the industry in light of its present structure. Competition and Regulation in Water: The Future of the European Water Industry concentrates on the water industry, however, many of the conclusions are equally applicable also to the wastewater industry. Contents Introduction Water industry fundamentals: the rationale for regulation and the scope for competition A framework for evaluating different models of water industry regulation England & Wales: private ownership and independent regulation France: competition for the market and contract-based regulation Germany: public-private partnerships and multi-sector utilities Developing water sector regulatory frameworks in less developed countries Appendix: The legislative framework for the water industry in England & Wales

The Economics of Public Utility Regulation

The Economics of Public Utility Regulation PDF Author: Michael A. Crew
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1349072958
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Regulating Water and Sanitation for the Poor

Regulating Water and Sanitation for the Poor PDF Author: Richard Franceys
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136558896
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
'This excellent book makes a major contribution to the literature on regulation in a pro-poor direction for urban water supply. It is extremely relevant for policy-makers striving to achieve the Millennium Development Goal for halving the share of world's population without access to clean and affordable water.' Andrew Nickson, University of Birmingham, UK The aim of this book is to present the potential benefits as well as the challenges of introducing a more formal economic regulatory process into the urban water sector arena in lower-income countries. There is a particular focus upon the impact this may have on the poorest, the informal, slum and shanty dwellers of the rapidly growing cities. Economic regulation, usually introduced in the context of private operation of monopoly water supply, can deliver objectivity and transparency in the price-setting process for public as well as private providers. The book describes and analyses these issues through a consideration of ten country case studies. As a starting point, the current situation for the provision of water and sanitation services for the poorest through non-regulated public providers in India and Uganda is reviewed. Comparative chapters are then presented on Ghana, Philippines, Bolivia, Jordan, Zambia and Indonesia, all with varying degrees of private sector involvement and regulation. Finally the experiences of two richer countries are considered - Chile and England, countries with the longest experience of economic regulation and the 'most privatized' suppliers. In all cases there is a focus on the very necessary role of customer involvement in price-setting and service monitoring and on the role of alternative (private) service providers.

Regulation of Urban Water Services. An Overview

Regulation of Urban Water Services. An Overview PDF Author: Enrique Cabrera Marcet
Publisher: IWA Publishing
ISBN: 178040817X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
Technical regulation of urban water services: The Portuguese regulatory model of water and wastewater services. An integrated approach; Experiences and conclusions from regulation in England and Wales; Experiences and conclusions from regulation in Australia; Experiences and conclusions from regulation in Denmark; Experiences and conclusions from regulation in Latin America; The German benchmarking experience. An alternative to regulation; The assessment of water services from the point of view of multilateral organizations. The experience of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Regulation in Spain from the perspective of the urban water services; Reasons that justify the regulation of urban water services in Spain; Can a regulator contribute to solve the problems of the urban water cycle in Spain?; Regulatory models. Conclusions

Economic Regulation of Water Companies

Economic Regulation of Water Companies PDF Author: Michael U. Klein
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Vandforsyning
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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The Regulation of Water and Waste Services

The Regulation of Water and Waste Services PDF Author: Jaime M. Baptista
Publisher: IWA Publishing
ISBN: 1780406525
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
The public water supply, urban wastewater and urban waste management services are essential to the well-being of citizens, public health and economic activities. These are generally provided under natural or legal monopoly, so there is no incentive for utilities to search for greater efficiency and effectiveness and as such there is an increasing prevalence of such risks for users. For these reasons, society can significantly benefit from the existence of regulatory intervention capable of introducing greater balance in the relationship between utilities and their users. The Regulation of Water and Waste Services: An Integrated Approach (Rita-Ersar) presents a practical integrated regulatory approach to these water and waste services. This approach is called the ARIT-ERSAR model and it is capable of contributing to the promotion of access by citizens to these services that is tending towards the universal. These services are provided with suitable quality by utilities at socially acceptable prices and with an acceptable level of risk. This approach consists of a regulation model with two major areas of intervention: structural regulation of the sector and regulation of the performance of the utilities. The components of structural regulation are contributions to organisation, legislation, information and sectoral capacity building. The performance regulation of utilities consists of legal and contractual regulation, economic regulation, quality of service regulation, drinking water quality regulation and user interface regulation. Author: Jaime Melo Baptista, Chairperson of the Water and Waste Services Regulatory Authority, ERSAR, Portugal

Economic Regulation of the Water Sector

Economic Regulation of the Water Sector PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781786040053
Category : Water-supply
Languages : en
Pages :

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The Economic and Social Regulation of Public Utilities

The Economic and Social Regulation of Public Utilities PDF Author: Judith Clifton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317981618
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
Utilities have long been essential for societies, supplying basic services for nations, organizations and households alike. The proper functioning and regulation of utilities is therefore critical for the economy, society and security. History provides an invaluable insight into important issues of the economic and social regulation of utilities and offers guidance for future debates. However, the history of utility regulation – which speaks of changing, diverse and complex experiences around the world – was sidelined or marginalised when economists and policy-makers enthusiastically embraced the question of how to reform the utilities from the 1970s. This book examines in depth the complex regulation and deregulation of energy, communications, transportation and water utilities across Western Europe, the United States, Australia, Brazil, China and India. In each case, attention is drawn to the changing roles of the state, the market and firms in the regulation, organization and delivery of utility services. This book was originally published as a special issue of Business History.