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Persistent and transient productive inefficiency in a regulated industry: electricity distribution

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  • Filippini, M.
  • Greene, W.
  • Masiero, G.

Abstract

The productive efficiency of a firm can be decomposed into two parts, one persistent and one transient. This distinction seems to be appealing for regulators. During the last decades, public utilities such as water and electricity have witnessed a wave of regulatory reforms aimed at improving efficiency through incentive regulation. Most of these regulation schemes use benchmarking, namely measuring companies' efficiency and rewarding them accordingly. Focusing on electricity distribution, we sketch a theoretical model to show that an imperfectly informed regulator may not disentangle the two parts of the cost efficiency. Therefore, the regulator may fail to set optimal efficiency targets, which also undermines quality. We then provide evidence on the presence of persistent and transient efficiency using data on 28 New Zealand electricity distribution companies between 2000 and 2011. First, we estimate a total cost function by means of traditional stochastic frontier models for panel data. These come up with an estimation of the persistent part or the transient part of the cost efficiency. Finally, we use the more recent generalized true random effects model that allows for the simultaneous estimation of both transient and persistent efficiency. We also find some evidence that persistent efficiency is associated to higher quality, and wrong efficiency targets are associated to lower quality compliance.

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  • Filippini, M. & Greene, W. & Masiero, G., 2018. "Persistent and transient productive inefficiency in a regulated industry: electricity distribution," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 325-334.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:69:y:2018:i:c:p:325-334
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2017.11.016
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    3. Vesterberg, Mattias & Zhou, Wenchao & Lundgren, Tommy, 2021. "Wind of change: Small-scale electricity production and distribution-grid efficiency in Sweden," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    4. Badunenko, Oleg & D’Inverno, Giovanna & De Witte, Kristof, 2023. "On distinguishing the direct causal effect of an intervention from its efficiency-enhancing effects," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 310(1), pages 432-447.
    5. Simões, Paulo Fernando Mahaz & Souza, Reinaldo Castro & Calili, Rodrigo Flora & Pessanha, José Francisco Moreira, 2020. "Analysis and short-term predictions of non-technical loss of electric power based on mixed effects models," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
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    7. Molinos-Senante, María & Maziotis, Alexandros & Sala-Garrido, Ramón, 2020. "Changes in the total costs of the English and Welsh water and sewerage industry: The decomposed effect of price and quantity inputs on efficiency," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    8. Musau, Andrew & Kumbhakar, Subal C. & Mydland, Ørjan & Lien, Gudbrand, 2021. "Determinants of allocative and technical inefficiency in stochastic frontier models: An analysis of Norwegian electricity distribution firms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 288(3), pages 983-991.
    9. Just, Lisa & Wetzel, Heike, 2020. "Distributed Generation and Cost Efficiency of German Electricity Distribution Network Operators," EWI Working Papers 2020-9, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI).
    10. Sun, Kege & Wu, Libo, 2020. "Efficiency distortion of the power generation sector under the dual regulation of price and quantity in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    11. Xiaoheng Zhang & Bingyu Huangfu & Shi Min, 2022. "Persistent and transient efficiency of the chemical fertilizer firms in China: Does ownership matter?," International Studies of Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(1), pages 108-124, June.
    12. António Carvalho, 2018. "Energy efficiency in transition economies : A stochastic frontier approach," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 26(3), pages 553-578, July.
    13. Maziotis, Alexandros & Molinos-Senante, Maria, 2022. "The impact of model specification and environmental variables on measuring the overall technical efficiency of water and sewerage services: Evidence from Chile," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 191-198.
    14. Russ Kashian & Nicholas Lovett & Yuhan Xue, 2020. "Has the affordable care act affected health care efficiency?," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 193-233, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cost efficiency; Regulation; Persistent and transient productive efficiency; Electricity distribution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C1 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity

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