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A Benchmarking Analysis of Electricity Distribution Utilities in Switzerland

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Author Info

  • Mehdi Farsi

    () (Center for Energy Policy and Economics CEPE, Department of Management, Technology and Economics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Massimo Filippini

    () (Center for Energy Policy and Economics CEPE, Department of Management, Technology and Economics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

Abstract

This paper studies the sensitivity problems of the benchmarking methods used in the regulation practice. Three commonly used methods have been applied to a sample of 52 electricity distribution utilities to estimate their cost efficiency. These methods include stochastic frontier, corrected ordinary least squares and data envelopment analysis. The results indicate that both efficiency scores and ranks are significantly different across various models. Especially considerable differences exist between parametric and non-parametric methods.

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File URL: http://www.cepe.ethz.ch/publications/workingPapers/CEPE_WP43.pdf
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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich in its series CEPE Working paper series with number 05-43.

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Length: 17 pages
Date of creation: Jun 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:cee:wpcepe:05-43

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Web page: http://www.cepe.ethz.ch
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References

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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.:
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  1. Mehdi Farsi & Massimo Filippini, 2003. "Regulation and Measuring Cost Efficiency with Panel Data Models: Application to Electricity Distribution Utilities," CEPE Working paper series 03-19, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
  2. Antonio Estache & Tim Coelli & Sergio Perelman & Lourdes Trujillo, 2003. "A Primer on Efficiency Measurement for Utilities and Transport Regulators," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/44106, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
  3. Simar, L. & Wilson, P.W., 1999. "Statistical Inference in Nonparametric Frontier Models: the State of the Art," Papers 9904, Catholique de Louvain - Institut de statistique.
  4. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2000. "Benchmarking and regulation: international electricity experience," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 107-130, September.
  5. Andrew Street, 2003. "How much confidence should we place in efficiency estimates?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(11), pages 895-907.
  6. Antonio Álvarez & Carlos Arias & William Greene, 2004. "Accounting for unobservables in production models:management and inefficiency," Economic Working Papers at Centro de Estudios Andaluces E2004/72, Centro de Estudios Andaluces.
  7. 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.
  8. Aigner, Dennis & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Peter, 1977. "Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 21-37, July.
  9. Mehdi Farsi & Massimo Filippini & William Greene, 2005. "Efficiency Measurement in Network Industries: Application to the Swiss Railway Companies," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 69-90, 07.
  10. Greene, William, 2005. "Reconsidering heterogeneity in panel data estimators of the stochastic frontier model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 126(2), pages 269-303, June.
  11. Mehdi Farsi & Massimo Filippini & Michael Kuenzle, 2006. "Cost Efficiency in Regional Bus Companies: An Application of Alternative Stochastic Frontier Models," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, London School of Economics and University of Bath, vol. 40(1), pages 95-118, January.
  12. Simar, L., 1991. "Estimating efficiencies from frontier models with panel data: a comparison of parametric, non-parametric and semi-parametric methods with boot strapping," CORE Discussion Papers 1991026, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
  13. Paul W. Bauer & Allen N. Berger & Gary D. Ferrier & David B. Humphrey, 1997. "Consistency conditions for regulatory analysis of financial institutions: a comparison of frontier efficiency methods," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1997-50, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
  14. Uwe Jensen, 2000. "Is it efficient to analyse efficiency rankings?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 189-208.
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Reinhard Madlener & Stefan Vögtli, 2006. "Diffusion of bioenergy in urban areas: socio-economic analysis of the planned Swiss wood-fired cogeneration plant in Basel," CEPE Working paper series 06-53, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
  2. Reinhard Madlener & Martin Koller, 2006. "Economic and CO2 mitigation impacts of promoting biomass heating systems: an input-output study for Vorarlberg, Austria," CEPE Working paper series 06-50, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
  3. Silvia Banfi & Massimo Filippini & Andrea Horehájová, 2007. "Hedonic Price Functions for Zurich and Lugano with Special Focus on Electrosmog," CEPE Working paper series 07-57, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
  4. Mehdi Farsi & Aurelio Fetz & Massimo Filippini, 2007. "Benchmarking and Regulation in the Electricity Distribution Sector," CEPE Working paper series 07-54, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
  5. Mehdi Farsi & Massimo Filippini & William Greene, 2005. "Application of Panel Data Models in Benchmarking Analysis of the Electrivity Distribution Sector," CEPE Working paper series 05-39, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
  6. Silvia Banfi & Massimo Filippini & Andrea Horeh�jov�, 2012. "Using a choice experiment to estimate the benefits of a reduction of externalities in urban areas with special focus on electrosmog," Applied Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 44(3), pages 387-397, January.
  7. Reinhard Madlener & Carlos Henggeler Antunes & Luis C. Dias, 2006. "Multi-Criteria versus Data Envelopment Analysis for Assessing the Performance of Biogas Plants," CEPE Working paper series 06-49, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.

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