How "Natural" are Natural Monopolies in the Water Supply and Sewerage Sector? Case Studies from Developing and Transition Economies
Using data from the International Benchmarking NETwork database, the authors estimate measures of density and scale economies in the water industry in four countries (Brazil, Colombia, Moldova, and Vietnam) that differ substantially in economic dev...
Main Authors: | , |
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Language: | English |
Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/02/7383571/natural-natural-monopolies-water-supply-sewerage-sector-case-studies-developing-transition-economies http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7181 |
Summary: | Using data from the International
Benchmarking NETwork database, the authors estimate measures
of density and scale economies in the water industry in four
countries (Brazil, Colombia, Moldova, and Vietnam) that
differ substantially in economic development, piped water
and sewerage coverage, and characteristics of the utilities
operating in the different countries. They find evidence of
economies of scale in Colombia, Moldova, and Vietnam,
implying the existence of a natural monopoly. In Brazil the
authors cannot reject the 0 hypothesis of constant returns
to scale. They also find evidence of economies of customer
density in Moldova and Vietnam. The results of this study
show that the cost structure of the water and wastewater
sector varies significantly between countries and within
countries, and over time, which has implications for how to
regulate the sector. |
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