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Is Private Production of Public Services Cheaper than Public Production? A meta-regression analysis of solid waste and water services

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Author Info

  • Germà Bel

    () (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona)

  • Xavier Fageda

    () (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona)

  • Mildred E. Warner

    () (Department of City and Regional Planning,Cornell University)

Abstract

Privatization of local government services is assumed to deliver cost savings but empirical evidence for this from around the world is mixed. We conduct a meta-regression analysis of all econometric studies examining privatization for water distribution and solid waste collection services and find no systematic support for lower costs with private production. Differences in study results are explained by differences in time-period of the analyses, service characteristics, and policy environment. We do not find a genuine empirical effect of cost savings resulting from private production. The results suggest that to ensure cost savings, more attention be given to the cost characteristics of the service, the transaction costs involved, and the policy environment stimulating competition, rather than to the debate over public versus private delivery of these services.

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File URL: http://www.ub.edu/irea/working_papers/2009/200923.pdf
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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics in its series IREA Working Papers with number 200923.

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Length: 33 pages
Date of creation: Oct 2009
Date of revision: Oct 2009
Handle: RePEc:ira:wpaper:200923

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Postal: Tinent Coronel Valenzuela, Num 1-11 08034 Barcelona
Web page: http://www.ub.edu/irea/
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Related research

Keywords: Privatization; contracting-out; costs; local governments; meta-regression analysis.;

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References

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  3. Germa Bel & Xavier Fageda, 2008. "Reforming the local public sector: economics and politics in privatization of water and solid waste," Journal of Policy Reform, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 11(1), pages 45-65.
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Carvalho, Pedro & Marques, Rui Cunha & Berg, Sanford, 2011. "A meta-regression analysis of benchmarking studies on water utilities market structure," MPRA Paper 32894, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  2. Michael Artis & Ernest Miguélez & Rosina Moreno, 2009. "Assessing Agglomeration Economies in a Spatial Framework with Endogenous Regressors," SERC Discussion Papers 0023, Spatial Economics Research Centre, LSE.
  3. Juan Luis Jiménez & Jordi Perdiguero & Ancor Suárez, 2011. "Debating as a classroom tool for adapting learning outcomes to the European higher education area," IREA Working Papers 201109, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Jun 2011.
  4. Mildred E. Warner, 2012. "Does Local Government Size Matter? Privatization and Hybrid Systems of Local Service Delivery," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1212, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
  5. Lluís Bermúdez & Antoni Ferri & Montserrat Guillén, 2011. "A correlation sensitivity analysis of non-life underwriting risk in solvency capital requirement estimation," Working Papers XREAP2011-12, Xarxa de Referència en Economia Aplicada (XREAP), revised Sep 2011.
  6. Daniel Albalate & Germà Bel & Joan Calzada, 2010. "Urban transport governance reform in Barcelona," IREA Working Papers 201009, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Jun 2010.
  7. Miguel Santolino & Catalina Bolancé & Manuela Alcañiz, 2011. "Factors affecting hospital admission and recovery stay duration of in-patient motor victims in Spain," IREA Working Papers 201119, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Oct 2011.
  8. Germà Bel & Xavier Fageda & Melania Mur, 2011. "Why do municipalities cooperate to provide local public services? An empirical analysis," IREA Working Papers 201118, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Oct 2011.
  9. Peeter Peda & Giuseppe Grossi & Margo Liik, 2013. "Do ownership and size affect the performance of water utilities? Evidence from Estonian municipalities," Journal of Management and Governance, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 237-259, May.
  10. Germà Bel & Xavier Fageda & Melania Mur, 2011. "Privatization, cooperation and costs of solid waste services in small towns," IREA Working Papers 201111, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Jul 2011.
  11. Alonso, Jose M. & Clifton, Judith & Díaz-Fuentes, Daniel, 2011. "Did New Public Management Matter? An Empirical Analysis of The Outsourcing and Decentralization Effects on Public Sector Size," MPRA Paper 43255, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  12. David Castells & Vicente Royuela, 2011. "Agglomeration, Inequality and Economic Growth," IREA Working Papers 201114, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Apr 2012.
  13. Daniel Albalate & Germà Bel & R. Richard Geddes, 2012. "“The determinants of contractual choice for private involvement in infrastructure projects in the United States”," IREA Working Papers 201220, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Dec 2012.

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