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Cost Inefficiency in the English and Welsh Water Industry: An Heteroskedastic Stochastic Cost Frontier Approach

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  • Bottasso, Anna
  • Conti, Maurizio

Abstract

In this study we analyze the evolution of operating cost inefficiency for the English and Welsh water industry over the period 1995-2001 by estimating an heteroskedastic stochastic variable cost frontier. The main aim of this paper is to provide an overall picture of the industry cost inefficiency, as we consider both the water and sewerage companies and the smaller water only companies. The main results of this paper are that industry operating cost inefficiency has decreased over the sample period and that inefficiency differentials among firms have steadily narrowed. This pattern of inefficiency might have been generated by the incentives provided by comparative and capital market competition which became fully operative after the 1994 price review.

Suggested Citation

  • Bottasso, Anna & Conti, Maurizio, 2003. "Cost Inefficiency in the English and Welsh Water Industry: An Heteroskedastic Stochastic Cost Frontier Approach," Economics Discussion Papers 8872, University of Essex, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:esx:essedp:8872
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    Cited by:

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    3. Walter, Matthias & Cullmann, Astrid & von Hirschhausen, Christian & Wand, Robert & Zschille, Michael, 2009. "Quo vadis efficiency analysis of water distribution? A comparative literature review," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(3-4), pages 225-232, September.
    4. James I. Price & Steven Renzetti & Diane Dupont & Wiktor Adamowicz & Monica B. Emelko, 2017. "Production Costs, Inefficiency, and Source Water Quality: A Stochastic Cost Frontier Analysis of Canadian Water Utilities," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 93(1), pages 1-11.
    5. Jinjin Zhao, 2020. "Productivity change in the privatized water sector in China (1999–2006)," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 227-241, April.
    6. Guerrini, Andrea & Romano, Giulia & Leardini, Chiara, 2018. "Economies of scale and density in the Italian water industry: A stochastic frontier approach," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 103-111.
    7. Danelon, André F. & Spolador, Humberto F.S. & Kumbhakar, Subal C., 2021. "Weather and population size effects on water and sewer treatment costs: Evidence from Brazil," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    8. Graziano Abrate & Fabrizio Erbetta & Giovanni Fraquelli, 2011. "Public utility planning and cost efficiency in a decentralized regulation context: the case of the Italian integrated water service," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 227-242, June.
    9. Porcher, Simon & Maziotis, Alexandros & Molinos-Senante, Maria, 2017. "The welfare costs of non-marginal water pricing: evidence from the water only companies in England and Wales," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 82898, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Barbosa, Alexandro & Lima, Severino Cesário de & Brusca, Isabel, 2016. "Governance and efficiency in the Brazilian water utilities: A dynamic analysis in the process of universal access," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(PA), pages 82-96.
    11. M C A S Portela & E Thanassoulis & A Horncastle & T Maugg, 2011. "Productivity change in the water industry in England and Wales: application of the meta-Malmquist index," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 62(12), pages 2173-2188, December.
    12. José Luis Bonifaz & Reyk Itakura, 2014. "An analysis of inefficiency of big urban water utilities in Latin-America," Working Papers 14-13, Centro de Investigación, Universidad del Pacífico.
    13. Linz, Teresa & Tsegai, Daniel W., 2009. "Industrial Water Demand analysis in the Middle Olifants sub-basin of South Africa: The case of Mining," Discussion Papers 49927, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    14. Cuadrado-Ballesteros, Beatriz & García-Sánchez, Isabel-María & Prado-Lorenzo, José-Manuel, 2013. "Effect of modes of public services delivery on the efficiency of local governments: A two-stage approach," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 23-35.
    15. Ben Amor, Tawfik & Mellah, Thuraya, 2023. "Cost efficiency of Tunisian water utility districts: Does heterogeneity matter?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    16. Pointon, Charlotte & Matthews, Kent, 2016. "Reprint of: Dynamic efficiency in the English and Welsh water and sewerage industry," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 98-108.
    17. Molinos-Senante, María & Maziotis, Alexandros & Sala-Garrido, Ramón, 2014. "The Luenberger productivity indicator in the water industry: An empirical analysis for England and Wales," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 18-28.
    18. 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).
    19. Anne-Kathrin Faust & Andrea Baranzini, 2014. "The economic performance of Swiss drinking water utilities," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 383-397, June.
    20. Abbott, Malcolm & Cohen, Bruce, 2009. "Productivity and efficiency in the water industry," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(3-4), pages 233-244, September.
    21. Ferro, Gustavo & Romero, Carlos A. & Covelli, María Paula, 2011. "Regulation and performance: A production frontier estimate for the Latin American water and sanitation sector," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 211-217.
    22. Alexandr Akimov & Paul Simshauser, 2018. "Performance measurement in Australian water utilities: Current state and future directions," Discussion Papers in Finance finance:201802, Griffith University, Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics.
    23. Mellah, Thuraya & Ben Amor, Tawfik, 2016. "Performance of the Tunisian Water Utility: An input-distance function approach," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 18-32.
    24. Arlette Beltrán B. & Pablo Lavado, 2014. "El impacto del uso del tiempo de las mujeres en el Perú: un recurso escaso y poco valorado en la economía nacional," Working Papers 14-09, Centro de Investigación, Universidad del Pacífico.
    25. Ferro, Gustavo & Lentini, Emilio & Mercadier, Augusto & Romero, Carlos A., 2010. "Retornos a escala en agua y saneamiento: estimaciones para América Latina [Returns to scale in water and sanitation: estimates for Latin Amercia]," MPRA Paper 20324, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Jan 2010.

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