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Benchmarking and incentive regulation of quality of service: an application to the UK electricity distribution utilities

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Author Info
Giannakis, D.
T. Jamasb
Pollitt, M.G.

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Abstract

Quality of service has emerged as an important issue in post-reform regulation of electricity distribution networks. Regulators have employed partial incentive schemes to promote cost saving, investment efficiency, and service quality. This paper presents a quality-incorporated benchmarking study of the electricity distribution utilities in the UK between 1991/92 and 1998/99. We calculate technical efficiency of the utilities using Data Envelopment Analysis technique and productivity change over time using quality-incorporated Malmquist indices. We find that cost efficient firms do not necessarily exhibit high service quality and that efficiency scores of cost-only models do not show high correlation with those of quality-based models. The results also show that improvements in service quality have made a significant contribution to the sector’s total productivity change. In addition, we show that integrating quality of service in regulatory benchmarking is preferable to cost-only approaches.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge in its series Cambridge Working Papers in Economics with number 0408.

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Length: 38
Date of creation: Jan 2004
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Handle: RePEc:cam:camdae:0408

Note: CMI35, IO
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Related research
Keywords: quality of service; benchmarking; incentive regulation; data envelopment analysis; electricity;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality
L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities

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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. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2000. "Benchmarking and regulation: international electricity experience," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 107-130, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. M.E. Beesley & S.C. Littlechild, 1989. "The Regulation of Privatized Monopolies in the United Kingdom," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 20(3), pages 454-472, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Andrei Shleifer, 1985. "A Theory of Yardstick Competition," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(3), pages 319-327, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael, 2003. "International benchmarking and regulation: an application to European electricity distribution utilities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(15), pages 1609-1622, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Thanassoulis, Emmanuel, 2000. "DEA and its use in the regulation of water companies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 127(1), pages 1-13, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Fare, R. & Grosskopf, S. & Roos, P., 1995. "Productivity and quality changes in Swedish pharmacies," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1-2), pages 137-144, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Clemenz, Gerhard, 1991. "Optimal Price-Cap Regulation," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 39(4), pages 391-408, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Burns, Philip & Weyman-Jones, Thomas G, 1996. "Cost Functions and Cost Efficiency in Electricity Distribution: A Stochastic Frontier Approach," Bulletin of Economic Research, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 48(1), pages 41-64, January.
  9. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2001. "International Benchmarking and Yardstick Regulation: An Application to European Electricity Utilities," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0115, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. [Downloadable!]
  11. Kennedy, J. & Smith, A.S.J., 2003. "Assessing the efficient cost of sustaining Britain’s rail network: perspectives based on Zonal comparisons," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0317, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. [Downloadable!]
  12. Yaisawarng, Suthathip & Klein, J Douglass, 1994. "The Effects of Sulfur Dioxide Controls on Productivity Change in the U.S. Electric Power Industry," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 76(3), pages 447-60, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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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. Simon Eckermann & Tim Coelli, 2008. "Including quality attributes in a model of health care efficiency: A net benefit approach," CEPA Working Papers Series WP032008, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia. [Downloadable!]
  2. Christian Growitsch & Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2005. "Quality of Service, Efficiency and Scale in Network Industries: An analysis of European electricity distribution," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0538, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Paul L Joskow, 2005. "Incentive Regulation In Theory And Practice - Electricity Distribution And Transmission Networks," Working Papers 0514, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Galdeano, Emilio & Cespedes, Jose & Rodriguez, Manuel, 2005. "Productivity and Quality-Environmental Changes in Marketing Co-operatives: An Analysis on the Horticultural Sector," 2005 International Congress, August 23-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark 24698, European Association of Agricultural Economists. [Downloadable!]
  5. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2007. "Incentive Regulation of Electricity Distribution Networks: Lessons of Experience from Britain," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0709, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Astrid Cullmann & Christian Hirschhausen, 2008. "Efficiency analysis of East European electricity distribution in transition: legacy of the past?," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 155-167, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2007. "Reference Models and Incentive Regulation of Electricity Distribution Networks: An Evaluation of Sweden’s Network Performance Assessment Model (NPAM)," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0747, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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