This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Disallowances and overcapitalization in the U.S. electric utility industry

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Stratford Douglas
Thomas A. Garrett
Russell M. Rhine

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Regulation of an industry often produces unintended consequences. Averch and Johnson (1962) argue that certain regulation of electric utilities provides utilities the incentive to purchase an inefficiently large amount of capital. Another possible and related unintended consequence of electric utility regulation is that regulatory cost disallowances on capital may also increase utilities' incentives to overcapitalize. The authors provide theoretical evidence that capital expenditure disallowances will increase the Averch and Johnson effect in some instances and thus may have contributed to the overcapitalization problem that regulation was designed to discourage. Our model shows that disallowances can reduce the rate of return on investment and thereby increase the Averch and Johnson distortion.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/09/01/Douglas.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Article provided by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in its journal Review.

Volume (Year): (2009)
Issue (Month): Jan ()
Pages: 23-32
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:fip:fedlrv:y:2009:i:jan:p:23-32:n:v.91no.1

Contact details of provider:
Postal: P.O. Box 442, St. Louis, MO 63166
Fax: (314)444-8753
Web page: http://www.stlouisfed.org/
More information through EDIRC

Order Information:
Email:
Web: http://www.stls.frb.org/research/order/pubform.html

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Diane Rosenberger).

Related research
Keywords: Electric utilities ; Energy industries;

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Nelson, Randy A., 1985. "Returns to scale from variable and total cost functions : Evidence from the electric power industry," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 18(2-3), pages 271-276. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Thomas P. Lyon, 1991. "Regulation with 20-20 Hindsight: "Heads I Win, Tails You Lose"?," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 22(4), pages 581-595, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Emma Hall & Carol Propper & John Van Reenen, 2008. "Can pay regulation kill? Panel data evidence on the effect of labor markets on hospital performance," NBER Working Papers 13776, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Rungsuriyawiboon, Supawat & Stefanou, Spiro E., 2007. "Dynamic Efficiency Estimation: An Application to U.S. Electric Utilities," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 25, pages 226-238, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Jon Nelson, 2003. "Advertising Bans, Monopoly, and Alcohol Demand: Testing for Substitution Effects using State Panel Data," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 1-25, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Richard J. Gilbert & David M. Newbery, 1994. "The Dynamic Efficiency of Regulatory Constitutions," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 25(4), pages 538-554, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Gal-Or, Esther & Spiro, Michael H, 1992. "Regulatory Regimes in the Electric Power Industry: Implications for Capacity," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 263-78, September.
  8. Thomas P. Lyon & John W. Mayo, 2005. "Regulatory Opportunism and Investment Behavior: Evidence from the U.S. Electric Utility Industry," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 36(3), pages 628-644, Autumn.
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Russell Rhine, 2001. "Economies of scale and optimal capital in nuclear and fossil fuel electricity production," Atlantic Economic Journal, International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 29(2), pages 203-214, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? You too can volunteer for RePEc, for example by providing information about publications in your institution.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-18.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.