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Contracting-Out Of Household Waste Collection Services In Japan

Author

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  • NORIMICHI MATSUEDA

    (School of Economics, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1-1-155 Uegahara Nishinomiya, Hyogo 662-8501, Japan)

  • JUN’ICHI MIKI

    (#x2020;Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tohoku University of Community Service and Science, 3-5-1 Iimoriyama, Sakata, Yamagata 998-8580, Japan)

Abstract

We first report three empirical findings from our survey on the contracting-out of municipal waste collection services in Japan: (1) the rate of contracting-out and the contract price are inversely related, (2) this inverse relationship tapers out as the contracting rate becomes sufficiently high, and the contract price even tends to go up as the contracting rate approaches 100% and (3) there is a significant disparity in the contracting rates between the eastern and western parts of Japan. In order to account for these observations, we then set up a simple analytical model and examine its implications. Also, we discuss the issues that a potential hold-up situation could give rise to when the services are completely contracted out to private firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Norimichi Matsueda & Jun’Ichi Miki, 2020. "Contracting-Out Of Household Waste Collection Services In Japan," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 65(02), pages 443-455, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:serxxx:v:65:y:2020:i:02:n:s0217590817410041
    DOI: 10.1142/S0217590817410041
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eoin Reeves & Michael Barrow, 2000. "The Impact of Contracting Out on the Costs of Refuse Collection Services - The Case of Ireland," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 31(2), pages 129-150.
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    4. Henry Ohlsson, 2003. "Ownership and Production Costs: Choosing between Public Production and Contracting-Out in the Case of Swedish Refuse Collection," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 24(4), pages 451-476, December.
    5. Stevens, Barbara J, 1978. "Scale, Market Structure, and the Cost of Refuse Collection," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 60(3), pages 438-448, August.
    6. John Cubbin & Simon Domberger & Shirley Meadowcroft, 1987. "Competitive tendering and refuse collection: identifying the sources of efficiency gains," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 8(3), pages 49-58, August.
    7. Hart, Oliver, 1995. "Firms, Contracts, and Financial Structure," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198288817.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hiroaki Ino & Norimichi Matsueda & Jun'ichi Miki, 2019. "Hold-up Problems in Contracting Out Waste Collection Services," Discussion Paper Series 186, School of Economics, Kwansei Gakuin University, revised May 2022.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Waste collection; contracting-out; contract price; hold-up;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
    • L33 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Comparison of Public and Private Enterprise and Nonprofit Institutions; Privatization; Contracting Out

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