IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/soueco/v8y2007i1p117-138.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Benchmarking and Regulation for the Electricity Distribution Sector in Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Muhammad Saleem

    (Muhammad Saleem is the Joint Director of the State Bank of Pakistan, and was till recently with the Crawford School of Economics and Government, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Email: saleem.zia@sbp.org.pk.)

Abstract

Liberalization of public utilities, especially the electricity sector, in developing countries is a significant trend. In addition, some developing countries are in the process of developing a regulatory framework for the liberalized sector. These countries are facing the core issue of how to transform public utilities into market-oriented and regulated entities. Like other developing countries, Pakistan is no exception. This article measures the changes in and sources of efficiency between 1998 and 2003. We rely on DEA and Malmquist indices to calculate and decompose the changes in productivity of nine distribution companies in Pakistan between 1998 and 2003. The results suggest that on average there is 92 per cent efficiency in the sector and six firms are operating on the frontier. It also shows that total factor productivity in the distribution sector rose by an average 3 per cent a year in the 1998–2003 period. There is deterioration in efficiency change, pure efficiency change and scale efficiency change. All growth in total factor productivity is due to growth in technical change. The paper concludes by arguing that any electricity regulator could use these types of results to improve the efficiency and performance of the sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Muhammad Saleem, 2007. "Benchmarking and Regulation for the Electricity Distribution Sector in Pakistan," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 8(1), pages 117-138, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:soueco:v:8:y:2007:i:1:p:117-138
    DOI: 10.1177/139156140600800107
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/139156140600800107
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/139156140600800107?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. W. Erwin Diewert & Alice O. Nakamura, 1999. "Benchmarking and the measurement of the best practice efficiency: an electricity generation application," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 32(2), pages 570-588, April.
    2. Andrei Shleifer, 1985. "A Theory of Yardstick Competition," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(3), pages 319-327, Autumn.
    3. Antonio Estache & MartÌn A. Rossi & Christian A. Ruzzier, 2004. "The Case for International Coordination of Electricity Regulation: Evidence from the Measurement of Efficiency in South America," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 271-295, May.
    4. Schmidt, Peter & Lovell, C. A. Knox, 1980. "Estimating stochastic production and cost frontiers when technical and allocative inefficiency are correlated," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 83-100, May.
    5. John Whiteman, 1999. "The Potential Benefits of Hilmer and Related Reforms: Electricity Supply," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 32(1), pages 17-30, March.
    6. Seiford, Lawrence M. & Thrall, Robert M., 1990. "Recent developments in DEA : The mathematical programming approach to frontier analysis," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1-2), pages 7-38.
    7. Bagdadioglu, Necmiddin & Waddams Price, Catherine M. & Weyman-Jones, Thomas G., 1996. "Efficiency and ownership in electricity distribution: A non-parametric model of the Turkish experience," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1-2), pages 1-23, April.
    8. R. D. Banker & A. Charnes & W. W. Cooper, 1984. "Some Models for Estimating Technical and Scale Inefficiencies in Data Envelopment Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(9), pages 1078-1092, September.
    9. Luis R. Murillo-Zamorano & Juan Vega-Cervera, "undated". "The Use of Parametric and Non Parametric Frontier Methods to Measure the Productive Efficiency in the Industrial Sector. A Comparative Study," Discussion Papers 00/17, Department of Economics, University of York.
    10. Tim Coelli & Sergio Perelman & Elliot Romano, 1999. "Accounting for Environmental Influences in Stochastic Frontier Models: With Application to International Airlines," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 251-273, June.
    11. Jamasb, T., 2002. "Reform and Regulation of the Electricity Sectors in Developing Countries," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0226, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    12. Rossi, Martin Antonio & Ruzzier, Christian Alejandro, 2000. "On the regulatory application of efficiency measures," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 81-92, June.
    13. Yun Zhang & Robert Bartels, 1998. "The Effect of Sample Size on the Mean Efficiency in DEA with an Application to Electricity Distribution in Australia, Sweden and New Zealand," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 187-204, March.
    14. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2001. "Benchmarking and Regulation of Electricity Transmission and Distribution Utilities: Lessons from International Experience," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0101, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    15. Battese, G E & Coelli, T J, 1995. "A Model for Technical Inefficiency Effects in a Stochastic Frontier Production Function for Panel Data," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 325-332.
    16. Mayer, Peter C., 2000. "Reliability economies of scale for tropical island electric power," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 319-330, June.
    17. Yunos, Jamaluddin Mohd & Hawdon, David, 1997. "The efficiency of the National Electricity Board in Malaysia: An intercountry comparison using DEA," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 255-269, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jamasb, Tooraj & Thakur, Tripta & Bag, Baidyanath, 2018. "Smart electricity distribution networks, business models, and application for developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 22-29.
    2. Mirza, Faisal Mehmood & Mushtaq, Iqra & Ullah, Kafait, 2017. "Assessing the efficiency dynamics of post reforms electric distribution utilities in Pakistan," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 18-28.
    3. Khan, Muhammad Arshad & Abbas, Faisal, 2016. "The dynamics of electricity demand in Pakistan: A panel cointegration analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1159-1178.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2000. "Benchmarking and regulation: international electricity experience," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 107-130, September.
    2. Zhou, P. & Ang, B.W. & Poh, K.L., 2008. "A survey of data envelopment analysis in energy and environmental studies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(1), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Mota, R.L., 2004. "‘Comparing Brazil and USA electricity performance; what was the impact of privatisation?’," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0423, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    4. Resende, Marcelo, 2002. "Relative efficiency measurement and prospects for yardstick competition in Brazilian electricity distribution," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 637-647, June.
    5. Ligia Melo & Néstor Espinosa, 2005. "Ineficiencia en la distribución de energía eléctrica: una aplicación de las funciones de distancia estocástica," Revista ESPE - Ensayos sobre Política Económica, Banco de la Republica de Colombia, vol. 23(49), pages 88-132, December.
    6. Chen Lin & Sanford Berg, 2008. "Incorporating Service Quality into Yardstick Regulation: An Application to the Peru Water Sector," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 32(1), pages 53-75, February.
    7. See, Kok Fong & Coelli, Tim, 2014. "Total factor productivity analysis of a single vertically integrated electricity utility in Malaysia using a Törnqvist index method," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 62-72.
    8. Preetum Domah, 2002. "Technical efficiency in electricity generation - the impact of smallness and isolation of island economies," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0232, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    9. Toru Hattori & Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M.G., 2002. "Relative Performance of UK and Japanese Electricity Distribution Systems 1985-1998: Lessons for Incentive Regulation," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0212, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    10. Lampe, Hannes W. & Hilgers, Dennis, 2015. "Trajectories of efficiency measurement: A bibliometric analysis of DEA and SFA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(1), pages 1-21.
    11. Franz R. Hahn, 2007. "Determinants of Bank Efficiency in Europe. Assessing Bank Performance Across Markets," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 31499, March.
    12. Wagner Montoro Júnior & Arilton Teixeira, 2004. "Measuring Cost Efficiency in the Brazilian Electricity Distribution Sector," Brazilian Business Review, Fucape Business School, vol. 1(1), pages 63-73, January.
    13. Miguel SARMIENTOO & Andrés CEPEDA & Hernando MUTIS & Juan F. PÉREZ, 2013. "Nueva Evidencia sobre la Eficiencia de la Banca," Archivos de Economía 10705, Departamento Nacional de Planeación.
    14. Kristof De Witte & Rui Marques, 2010. "Designing performance incentives, an international benchmark study in the water sector," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 18(2), pages 189-220, June.
    15. Basanta R. Dhungana & Peter L. Nuthall & Gilbert V. Nartea, 2004. "Measuring the economic inefficiency of Nepalese rice farms using data envelopment analysis," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 48(2), pages 347-369, June.
    16. San Cristóbal, José Ramón, 2011. "A multi criteria data envelopment analysis model to evaluate the efficiency of the Renewable Energy technologies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 2742-2746.
    17. Lin, Chen, 2005. "Service quality and prospects for benchmarking: Evidence from the Peru water sector," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 230-239, September.
    18. Franz R. Hahn, 2005. "Determinants of Bank Profitability in Austria. A Micro-Macro Approach," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 25688, March.
    19. Yan Sun & Rupa Duttagupta, 2008. "Price Dynamics in the Eastern Caribbean," Money Affairs, CEMLA, vol. 0(2), pages 193-216, July-Dece.
    20. Karine Chapelle & Patrick Plane, 2005. "Productive Efficiency In The Ivorian Manufacturing Sector: An Exploratory Study Using A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 43(4), pages 450-471, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    JEL: E20; JEL: L50; JEL: O40; Electricity Distribution; Regulation; DEA; Productivity; Efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E20 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • L50 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:soueco:v:8:y:2007:i:1:p:117-138. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ips.lk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.