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¿Por qué se privatizan servicios en los municipios (pequeños)? Evidencia empírica sobre residuos sólidos y agua

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  • Germà Bel

    (Universidad de Barcelona)

  • Xavier Fageda

    (Universidad de Barcelona)

  • Melania Mur

    (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Abstract

This paper examines factors influencing privatization in solid waste collection and water distribution. We take advantage of data for a sample of municipalities of Aragon to identify the most important factors in small municipalities. The results of empirical analysis show that, for both services, the financial situation of the municipality influences significantly in delivery choices of small municipalities, while ideological factors are not relevant. The motivations related to costs differ according to the specific characteristics of the considered service. In this regard, the dispersion of population strata and intermunicipal cooperation play a particularly relevant role in small municipalities

Suggested Citation

  • Germà Bel & Xavier Fageda & Melania Mur, 2010. "¿Por qué se privatizan servicios en los municipios (pequeños)? Evidencia empírica sobre residuos sólidos y agua," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 192(1), pages 33-58, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:hpe:journl:y:2010:v:192:i:1:p:33-58
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    16. Germa Bel & Anton Costas, 2006. "Do Public Sector Reforms Get Rusty? Local Privatization in Spain," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 1-24.
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    Cited by:

    1. Artis, Michael & Moreno, Rosina & Miguelez, Ernest, 2009. "Assessing agglomeration economies in a spatial framework with endogenous regressors," CEPR Discussion Papers 7267, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Juan Luis Jiménez & Jordi Perdiguero & Ancor Suárez, 2011. "Debating as a classroom tool for adapting learning outcomes to the European higher education area," IREA Working Papers 201109, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Jun 2011.
    3. Luiz de Mello & Santiago Lago-Pe-as, 2013. "Local government cooperation for joint provision: the experiences of Brazil and Spain with inter-municipal consortia," Chapters, in: Santiago Lago-Peñas & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez (ed.), The Challenge of Local Government Size, chapter 9, pages 221-241, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Ruiz-Villaverde, Alberto & González-Gómez, Francisco & J. Picazo- Tadeo, Andrés, 2015. "The privatisation of urban water services: theory and empirical evidence in the case of Spain," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 31, pages 157-174.
    5. David Castells-Quintana & Vicente Royuela, 2014. "Agglomeration, inequality and economic growth," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 52(2), pages 343-366, March.
    6. Daniel Albalate & Germà Bel & R. Richard Geddes, 2012. "“Recovery Risk and Labor Costs in Public-Private-Partnerships: Contractual Choice in the U.S. Water industry”," IREA Working Papers 201222, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Dec 2012.
    7. Miguel Santolino & Catalina Bolancé & Manuela Alcañiz, 2011. "Factors affecting hospital admission and recovery stay duration of in-patient motor victims in Spain," IREA Working Papers 201119, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Oct 2011.
    8. Andrés Picazo-Tadeo & Francisco González-Gómez & Jorge Wanden-Berghe & Alberto Ruiz-Villaverde, 2012. "Do ideological and political motives really matter in the public choice of local services management? Evidence from urban water services in Spain," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 151(1), pages 215-228, April.
    9. Germà Bel & Xavier Fageda & Melania Mur, 2011. "Why do municipalities cooperate to provide local public services? An empirical analysis," IREA Working Papers 201118, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Oct 2011.
    10. Navarro-Espigares, José Luis & Martín-Segura, José Aureliano & Pérez-López, César & Maraver-Tarifa, Guillermo, 2018. "Waste Management in the Spanish Municipalities: Is Commitment to Local Agenda 21 more than good Intentions?," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 40, pages 35-56.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Privatization; contracting-out; local governments; small municipalities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L33 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Comparison of Public and Private Enterprise and Nonprofit Institutions; Privatization; Contracting Out
    • R51 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Finance in Urban and Rural Economies
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures

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