IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/cesptp/hal-04011777.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Meso-institutions: The variety of regulatory arrangements in the water sector

Author

Listed:
  • Claude Ménard

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UP1 UFR02 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - École d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, NUS - National University of Singapore)

Abstract

There are many different ways to regulate water utilities. By focusing almost exclusively on regulatory agencies, the literature has missed important alternatives regarding the mechanisms through which the general rules of the game, defined at the macro-institutional level, interact with operators organizing transactions at the micro-level. Building on recent developments in organization theory and on the distinction between property rights and decision rights, this paper explores the variety of arrangements, identified as ‘meso-institutions,' providing these links. The analysis is substantiated through a comparative approach to the drinkable water systems in France, England and Whales, and the Netherlands.

Suggested Citation

  • Claude Ménard, 2017. "Meso-institutions: The variety of regulatory arrangements in the water sector," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-04011777, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:cesptp:hal-04011777
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jup.2017.05.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Djankov, Simeon & Glaeser, Edward & La Porta, Rafael & Lopez-de-Silanes, Florencio & Shleifer, Andrei, 2003. "The new comparative economics," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 595-619, December.
    2. Douglass C. North, 1991. "Institutions," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 97-112, Winter.
    3. Gary D. Libecap, 2009. "Property Rights Allocation of Common Pool Resources," Chapters, in: Claude Ménard & Michel Ghertman (ed.), Regulation, Deregulation, Reregulation, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Patrick Bolton & Mathias Dewatripont, 2005. "Contract Theory," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262025760, April.
    5. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1998. "Law and Finance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(6), pages 1113-1155, December.
    6. Alchian, Armen A & Demsetz, Harold, 1972. "Production , Information Costs, and Economic Organization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 62(5), pages 777-795, December.
    7. Künneke, Rolf & Groenewegen, John & Ménard, Claude, 2010. "Aligning modes of organization with technology: Critical transactions in the reform of infrastructures," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 75(3), pages 494-505, September.
    8. Gary D. Libecap, 2014. "Addressing Global Environmental Externalities: Transaction Costs Considerations," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 52(2), pages 424-479, June.
    9. Greif,Avner, 2006. "Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521671347.
    10. Galiani,Sebastian & Sened,Itai (ed.), 2014. "Institutions, Property Rights, and Economic Growth," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107041554, September.
    11. Baker, George P. & Gibbons, Robert & Murphy, Kevin J., 2008. "Strategic alliances: Bridges between "islands of conscious power"," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 146-163, June.
    12. Elinor Ostrom, 2014. "Do institutions for collective action evolve?," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 3-30, April.
    13. Paul L. Joskow & Roger G. Noll, 1981. "Regulation in Theory and Practice: An Overview," NBER Chapters, in: Studies in Public Regulation, pages 1-78, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Pablo T. Spiller, 2009. "An Institutional Theory of Public Contracts: Regulatory Implications," Chapters, in: Claude Ménard & Michel Ghertman (ed.), Regulation, Deregulation, Reregulation, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Littlechild, Stephen, 2014. "The Customer Forum: Customer engagement in the Scottish water sector," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 206-218.
    16. Masahiko Aoki, 2001. "Toward a Comparative Institutional Analysis," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262011875, April.
    17. Sawkins, John W. & Reid, Scott, 2007. "The measurement and regulation of cross subsidy. The case of the Scottish water industry," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 36-48, March.
    18. John Vickers & George Yarrow, 1988. "Privatization: An Economic Analysis," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262720116, April.
    19. Holmstrom, Bengt, 1999. "The Firm as a Subeconomy," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 15(1), pages 74-102, April.
    20. Chris Shugart, 1998. "Regulation-by-Contract and Municipal Services: The Problem of Contractual Incompleteness," Development Discussion Papers 1998-09, JDI Executive Programs.
    21. Douglass C. North, 1990. "A Transaction Cost Theory of Politics," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 2(4), pages 355-367, October.
    22. Littlechild, Stephen, 1988. "Economic Regulation of Privatised Water Authorities and Some Further Reflections," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 4(2), pages 40-68, Summer.
    23. Oliver E. Williamson, 2000. "The New Institutional Economics: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 595-613, September.
    24. Bengt Holmstrom, 1982. "Moral Hazard in Teams," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 13(2), pages 324-340, Autumn.
    25. Ramachandraiah C, 2008. "Right to Drinking Water in India," Working Papers id:1723, eSocialSciences.
    26. North, Douglass C., 1971. "Institutional Change and Economic Growth," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 31(1), pages 118-125, March.
    27. Hart, Oliver, 1995. "Firms, Contracts, and Financial Structure," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198288817.
    28. Ashley C. Brown & Jon Stern & Bernard Tenenbaum, 2006. "Handbook for Evaluating Infrastructure Regulatory Systems," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 7030.
    29. Jean-Jacques Laffont & Jean Tirole, 1993. "A Theory of Incentives in Procurement and Regulation," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262121743, April.
    30. Hodgson, Geoffrey M., 2015. "On defining institutions: rules versus equilibria," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(3), pages 497-505, September.
    31. William M. Dugger, 1996. "The Mechanisms of Governance," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(4), pages 1212-1216, December.
    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. Stefano Ciliberti & Gaetano Martino & Angelo Frascarelli & Gabriele Chiodini, 2019. "Contractual arrangements in the Italian durum wheat supply chain: The impacts of the "Fondo grano duro"," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 21(2), pages 235-254.
    2. Tolstoguzov, Oleg, 2021. "О Возможности Эффективного Ответа На Индустриальный Вызов В Контексте Взаимодействия Человека И Природы [On the possibility of an effective response to the industrial challenge in the context of hu," MPRA Paper 110808, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Gaetano Martino & Daniela Toccaceli & Alessandro Pacciani & Michela Ascani, 2019. "The Interbranch organizations in the cap reform: Institutional nature, opportunities and limits," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 21(2), pages 315-334.

    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. Buchen, Clemens, 2010. "Emerging economic systems in Central and Eastern Europe – a qualitative and quantitative assessment," EconStor Theses, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 37141, September.
    2. Peter G. Klein, 2010. "Transaction Cost Economics and the New Institutional Economics," Chapters, in: Peter G. Klein & Michael E. Sykuta (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Transaction Cost Economics, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Kim, Jongwook & Mahoney, Joseph T., 2008. "A Strategic Theory of the Firm as a Nexus of Incomplete Contracts: A Property Rights Approach," Working Papers 08-0108, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.
    4. Hearn, Bruce, 2014. "Institutional impact on the expropriation of private benefits of control in North Africa," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 1-23.
    5. Wang, Tianxi, 2009. "Ownership, Control, and Incentive," Economics Discussion Papers 2955, University of Essex, Department of Economics.
    6. Claude Menard & Gaetano Martino & Gustavo Magalhães Oliveira & Annie Royer & Paula Sarita Bigio Schnaider & Maria Sylvia Macchione Saes, 2024. "How is food safety regulation implemented? The key role of meso-institutions assessed through a cross-country comparison," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 16(4), pages 1045-1058, August.
    7. Gagliardi, Francesca, 2008. "Institutions and economic change: A critical survey of the new institutional approaches and empirical evidence," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 416-443, February.
    8. Gibbons, Robert, 2005. "Four forma(lizable) theories of the firm?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 200-245, October.
    9. Claude Ménard, 2018. "Organization and governance in the agrifood sector: How can we capture their variety?," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 142-160, December.
    10. Eduard Marinov, 2016. "The 2016 Nobel Prize in Economics," Economic Thought journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 6, pages 97-149.
    11. Dai, Darong, 2013. "Cooperative economic growth," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 407-415.
    12. Masahiko Aoki, 2013. "Institutions as cognitive media between strategic interactions and individual beliefs," Chapters, in: Comparative Institutional Analysis, chapter 17, pages 298-312, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Ménard, Claude & Kurdin, Alexander & Shastitko, Andrey, 2020. "Out by the door, in through the window: Politics and natural gas regulation in Russia," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    14. Coggan, Anthea & Buitelaar, Edwin & Whitten, Stuart & Bennett, Jeff, 2013. "Factors that influence transaction costs in development offsets: Who bears what and why?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 222-231.
    15. Jon Stern, 2012. "The relationship between regulation and contracts in infrastructure industries: Regulation as ordered renegotiation," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(4), pages 474-498, December.
    16. Besley, Timothy & Ghatak, Maitreesh, 2010. "Property Rights and Economic Development," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Dani Rodrik & Mark Rosenzweig (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 4525-4595, Elsevier.
    17. Jongwook Kim & Joseph T. Mahoney, 2005. "Property rights theory, transaction costs theory, and agency theory: an organizational economics approach to strategic management," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(4), pages 223-242.
    18. Patrick Bolton & Chenggang Xu, 1998. "Ownership and Managerial competition: Employee, Customer, or Outside Ownership," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 174, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
    19. Rodolfo Apreda, 2001. "The Brokerage of Asymmetric Information," CEMA Working Papers: Serie Documentos de Trabajo. 190, Universidad del CEMA.
    20. Garrouste, Pierre & Saussier, Stephane, 2005. "Looking for a theory of the firm: Future challenges," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 178-199, October.

    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:hal:cesptp:hal-04011777. 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: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    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.