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Is Market-Oriented Reform Producing a “Two-Track” Europe? Evidence from Electricity and Telecommunications

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  • Clifton, Judith
  • Díaz-Fuentes, Daniel
  • Fernández Gutiérrez, Marcos
  • Revuelta, Julio

Abstract

The European Commission has formally recognised that adequate provision of basic household services, including energy, communications, water and transport, is key to ensuring equity, social cohesion and solidarity. Yet little research has been done on the impact of the reform of these services in this regard. This article offers an innovative way to explore such questions by analysing and contrasting stated and revealed preferences on citizen satisfaction with and expenditure on two services, electricity and telecommunications, in two large countries, Spain and the United Kingdom. In telecommunications, but to a much lesser extent in electricity, we find evidence that reform has led to a “two-track” Europe, where citizens who are elderly, not working or the less-educated behave differently in the market, with the result that they are less satisfied with these services than their younger, working, better-educated, counterparts.

Suggested Citation

  • Clifton, Judith & Díaz-Fuentes, Daniel & Fernández Gutiérrez, Marcos & Revuelta, Julio, 2011. "Is Market-Oriented Reform Producing a “Two-Track” Europe? Evidence from Electricity and Telecommunications," MPRA Paper 33018, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:33018
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    Cited by:

    1. Bastianin, Andrea & Castelnovo, Paolo & Florio, Massimo, 2018. "Evaluating regulatory reform of network industries: a survey of empirical models based on categorical proxies," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 115-128.
    2. Marcos Fernández‐Gutiérrez & Oliver James & Sebastian Jilke, 2017. "Competition and switching in public service markets: Can they reduce inequalities?," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(1), pages 41-63, March.
    3. Johan WILLNER & Sonja GRÖNBLOM, 2017. "Public Enterprises – Objectives and Performance," Departmental Working Papers 2017-03, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano.
    4. Johan Willner & Sonja Gronblom, 2016. "The organisation of services of general interest in Finland," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(3), pages 89-116.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public Service; Electricity; Telecommunications; Revealed preferences; Consumer Behaviour; Vulnerable Consumers. European Union. Regulation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L96 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Telecommunications
    • D18 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Protection
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
    • L98 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Government Policy

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