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Privatization of Public Goods: Evidence from the Sanitation Sector in Senegal

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  • Joshua W. Deutschmann
  • Jared E. Gars
  • Jean-François Houde
  • Molly Lipscomb
  • Laura A. Schechter

Abstract

Privatization of a public good (the management of sewage treatment centers in Dakar, Senegal) leads to an increase in the productivity of downstream sewage dumping companies and a decrease in downstream prices of the services they provide to households. We use the universe of legal dumping of sanitation waste from May 2009 to May 2018 to show that legal dumping increased substantially following privatization—on average an increase of 74%, or an increase of about 1640 trips to treatment centers each month. This is due to increased productivity of all trucks, not just those associated with the company managing the privatized treatment centers. Household-level survey data shows that downstream prices of legal sanitary dumping decreased by 5% following privatization, and DHS data shows that diarrhea rates among children under five decreased in Dakar relative to secondary cities in Senegal following privatization with no similar effect on respiratory illness as a placebo.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua W. Deutschmann & Jared E. Gars & Jean-François Houde & Molly Lipscomb & Laura A. Schechter, 2021. "Privatization of Public Goods: Evidence from the Sanitation Sector in Senegal," NBER Working Papers 29295, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29295
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    2. Abramovsky, Laura & Akwunwa, Nneka & Augsburg, Britta & Danladi, Ephraim & Harvey, Erik & Iorkumbur, Emmanuel & Loh, Julia & Lührmann, Melanie & Musa, Abdulazeez & Oko-Williams, Ada & Olorenshaw, Harr, 2025. "Sanitation marketing in Nigeria," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    3. Augsburg, Britta & Foster, Andrew & Johnson, Terence & Lipscomb, Molly, 2024. "Evidence on designing sanitation interventions," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    4. Nguyen, Trung Thanh & Nguyen, Thanh-Tung & Do, Manh Hung & Rahut, Dil & Nguyen, Duy Linh, 2025. "Remittances, sanitation and child malnutrition in middle-income countries: A case study from rural Northeast Thailand and Central Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    5. Juliana Souza Scriptore Moreira & Carlos Roberto Azzoni & Naercio Menezes‐Filho, 2024. "Sanitation conditions and education outcomes in Brazilian municipalities," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 1987-2000, June.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L42 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Vertical Restraints; Resale Price Maintenance; Quantity Discounts
    • L9 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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