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Public versus private production and economies of scale

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  • Henrik Christoffersen
  • Martin Paldam
  • Allan Würtz

Abstract

The cost of producing the same good often differs substantially for public and private producers. We investigate the effect of organization in a case where the production technology is simple: The cleaning of Danish schools. Three forms of organization are used: Decentral municipal, central municipal or private. For small schools the organizational form has little impact on cost. For larger schools decentral municipal production is the most expensive. On average centralization reduces costs by 5%, while privatization reduces costs by 30%. Similar cost differences are reported in the literature for other cases, but it is a new result that the cost differences are due to economies of scale. Public choice theories predict that cost differences are due to ownership or competition. We find evidence that both theories help explain the cost differences. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007

Suggested Citation

  • Henrik Christoffersen & Martin Paldam & Allan Würtz, 2007. "Public versus private production and economies of scale," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 311-328, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:130:y:2007:i:3:p:311-328
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-006-9086-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Blom-Hansen, Jens, 2003. "Is Private Delivery of Public Services Really Cheaper? Evidence from Public Road Maintenance in Denmark," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 115(3-4), pages 419-438, June.
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    7. Christoffersen, Henrik & Paldam, Martin, 2003. "Markets and Municipalities: A Study of the Behavior of the Danish Municipalities," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 114(1-2), pages 79-102, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gerhard Glomm & Fabio Méndez, 2009. "Privatization, Deregulation, and Capital Accumulation," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 75(4), pages 976-995, April.
    2. Juan Luis Gómez-Reino & Santiago Lago-Peñas & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, 2021. "Evidence on Economies of Scale in Local Public Service Provision: A Meta-Analysis," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper2116, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    3. Strömbäck, Elon, 2015. "Policy by Public Procurement: Opportunities and Pitfalls," Umeå Economic Studies 915, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    4. Henrik Christoffersen & Martin Paldam, 2004. "Privatization in Denmark, 1980-2002," CESifo Working Paper Series 1127, CESifo.
    5. Andersson, Fredrik & Jordahl, Henrik, 2011. "Outsourcing Public Services: Ownership, Competition, Quality and Contracting," Working Paper Series 874, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    6. Alena Podaneva & Pierre Picard, 2023. "Facility Management Services in UK Hospitals: in-house or outsourcing," DEM Discussion Paper Series 23-15, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.

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