IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/tuddps/0605.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Efficiency Analysis of German Electricity Distribution Utilities : Non-Parametric and Parametric Tests

Author

Listed:
  • von Hirschhausen, Christian R.
  • Cullmann, Astrid

Abstract

This paper applies parametric and non-parametric and parametric tests to assess the efficiency of electricity distribution companies in Germany. We address traditional issues in electricity sector benchmarking, such as the role of scale effects and optimal utility size, as well as new evidence specific to the situation in Germany This paper applies parametric and non-parametric and parametric tests to asses the efficiency of electricity distribution companies in Germany. We use labor, capital, and peak load capacity as inputs, and units sold and the number of customers as output. The data covers 307 (out of 553) German electricity distribution utilities. We apply a data envelopment analysis (DEA) with constant returns to scale (CRS) as the main productivity analysis technique, whereas stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) with distance function is our verification method. The results suggest that returns to scale play a minor role; only very small utilities have a significant cost advantage. Low customer density is found to affect the efficiency score significantly in the lower third of all observations. Surprisingly, East German utilities feature a higher average efficiency than their West German counterparts. The correlation tests imply a high coherence of the results.

Suggested Citation

  • von Hirschhausen, Christian R. & Cullmann, Astrid, 2005. "Efficiency Analysis of German Electricity Distribution Utilities : Non-Parametric and Parametric Tests," Dresden Discussion Paper Series in Economics 06/05, Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:tuddps:0605
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/22723/1/ddpe200506.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. repec:bla:scandj:v:94:y:1992:i:0:p:s207-09 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Kumkar, Lars, 2002. "The European Electricity Market: Centralization of Regulation or Competition between Regulatory Approaches?," Kiel Discussion Papers 387, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    4. Meeusen, Wim & van den Broeck, Julien, 1977. "Efficiency Estimation from Cobb-Douglas Production Functions with Composed Error," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 18(2), pages 435-444, June.
    5. D. Giannakis & T. Jamasb & M. Pollitt, 2003. "Benchmarking and Incentive Regulation of Quality of Service: an Application to the UK Electricity Distribution Utilities," Working Papers EP35, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    6. David Hauner, 2005. "Explaining efficiency differences among large German and Austrian banks," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(9), pages 969-980.
    7. Filippini, Massimo & Wild, Jorg, 2001. "Regional differences in electricity distribution costs and their consequences for yardstick regulation of access prices," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 477-488, July.
    8. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2000. "Benchmarking and regulation: international electricity experience," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 107-130, September.
    9. Alejandra Mizala & Pilar Romaguera & Dario Farren, 2002. "The technical efficiency of schools in Chile," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(12), pages 1533-1552.
    10. Massimo Filippini, 1998. "Are Municipal Electricity Distribution Utilities Natural Monopolies?," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(2), pages 157-174, June.
    11. Mehdi Farsi & Massimo Filippini, 2004. "Regulation and Measuring Cost-Efficiency with Panel Data Models: Application to Electricity Distribution Utilities," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 25(1), pages 1-19, August.
    12. Gert Brunekreeft and Sven Twelemann, 2005. "Regulation, Competition and Investment in the German Electricity Market: RegTP or REGTP," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Special I), pages 99-126.
    13. Noel D. Uri, 2001. "Technical Efficiency, Allocative Efficiency, and the Implementation of a Price Cap Plan in Telecommunications in the United States," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 163-186, May.
    14. Brunekreeft, G. & Twelemann, S., 2005. "Regulation, Competition and Investment in the German Electricity Market: RegTP or REGTP," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0501, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    15. repec:bla:scandj:v:94:y:1992:i:0:p:s193-205 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Coelli, Tim & Perelman, Sergio, 1999. "A comparison of parametric and non-parametric distance functions: With application to European railways," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(2), pages 326-339, September.
    17. Laure Latruffe & Kelvin Balcombe & Sophia Davidova & Katarzyna Zawalinska, 2004. "Determinants of technical efficiency of crop and livestock farms in Poland," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(12), pages 1255-1263.
    18. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2001. "International Benchmarking and Yardstick Regulation: An Application to European Electricity Utilities," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0115, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    19. Noel D. Uri, 2001. "Technical Efficiency, Allocative Efficiency, and the Implementation of a Price Cap Plan in Telecommunications in the United States," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 4, pages 163-186, May.
    20. Growitsch, Christian & Wein, Thomas, 2005. "Network access charges, vertical integration, and property rights structure--experiences from the German electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 257-278, March.
    21. Grosskopf, S. & Margaritis, D. & Valdmanis, V., 1995. "Estimating output substitutability of hospital services: A distance function approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(3), pages 575-587, February.
    22. Mr. David Hauner, 2004. "Explaining Efficiency Differences Among Large German and Austrian Banks," IMF Working Papers 2004/140, International Monetary Fund.
    23. Burns, Philip & Weyman-Jones, Thomas G, 1996. "Cost Functions and Cost Efficiency in Electricity Distribution: A Stochastic Frontier Approach," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 41-64, January.
    24. Rolf Fare & Shawna Grosskopf & William Weber, 2004. "The effect of risk-based capital requirements on profit efficiency in banking," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(15), pages 1731-1743.
    25. Kostas Tsekouras & Dimitris Skuras, 2005. "Productive efficiency and exports: an examination of alternative hypotheses for the Greek cement industry," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(3), pages 279-291.
    26. Førsund, Finn R. & Kittelsen, Sverre A. C., 1998. "Productivity development of Norwegian electricity distribution utilities," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 207-224, September.
    27. Paul Bishop & Steven Brand, 2003. "The efficiency of museums: a stochastic frontier production function approach," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(17), pages 1853-1858.
    28. Jamasb, Tooraj & Pollitt, Michael, 2003. "International benchmarking and regulation: an application to European electricity distribution utilities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(15), pages 1609-1622, December.
    29. Aigner, Dennis & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Peter, 1977. "Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 21-37, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Christian Growitsch & Tooraj Jamasb & Michael Pollitt, 2009. "Quality of service, efficiency and scale in network industries: an analysis of European electricity distribution," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(20), pages 2555-2570.
    2. 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.
    3. Mehdi Farsi & Aurelio Fetz & Massimo Filippini, 2007. "Benchmarking and Regulation in the Electricity Distribution Sector," CEPE Working paper series 07-54, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
    4. Azadeh, A. & Ghaderi, S.F. & Omrani, H. & Eivazy, H., 2009. "An integrated DEA-COLS-SFA algorithm for optimization and policy making of electricity distribution units," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 2605-2618, July.
    5. Tovar, Beatriz & Javier Ramos-Real, Francisco & de Almeida, Edmar Fagundes, 2011. "Firm size and productivity. Evidence from the electricity distribution industry in Brazil," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 826-833, February.
    6. repec:diw:diwwpp:dp553 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Mehdi Farsi & Massimo Filippini & William Greene, 2006. "Application Of Panel Data Models In Benchmarking Analysis Of The Electricity Distribution Sector," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 77(3), pages 271-290, September.
    8. Hess, Borge & Cullmann, Astrid, 2007. "Efficiency analysis of East and West German electricity distribution companies - Do the "Ossis" really beat the "Wessis"?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 206-214, September.
    9. Astrid Cullmann & Christian Hirschhausen, 2008. "Efficiency analysis of East European electricity distribution in transition: legacy of the past?," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 155-167, April.
    10. Goto, Mika & Tsutsui, Miki, 2008. "Technical efficiency and impacts of deregulation: An analysis of three functions in U.S. electric power utilities during the period from 1992 through 2000," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 15-38, January.
    11. Mehdi Farsi & Massimo Filippini, 2005. "A Benchmarking Analysis of Electricity Distribution Utilities in Switzerland," CEPE Working paper series 05-43, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
    12. Ajayi, Victor & Weyman-Jones, Thomas & Glass, Anthony, 2017. "Cost efficiency and electricity market structure: A case study of OECD countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 283-291.
    13. Per J. Agrell & Mehdi Farsi & Massimo Filippini & Martin Koller, 2013. "Unobserved heterogeneous effects in the cost efficiency analysis of electricity distribution systems," Working Papers 0038, Swiss Economics.
    14. Kuosmanen, Timo, 2012. "Stochastic semi-nonparametric frontier estimation of electricity distribution networks: Application of the StoNED method in the Finnish regulatory model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 2189-2199.
    15. Dimitri Dimitropoulos and Adonis Yatchew, 2017. "Is Productivity Growth in Electricity Distribution Negative? An Empirical Analysis Using Ontario Data," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2).
    16. Subal C. Kumbhakar & Gudbrand Lien, 2017. "Yardstick Regulation of Electricity Distribution Disentangling Short-run and Long-run Inefficiencies," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 5).
    17. 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.
    18. Sadjadi, S.J. & Omrani, H., 2008. "Data envelopment analysis with uncertain data: An application for Iranian electricity distribution companies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(11), pages 4247-4254, November.
    19. 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.
    20. Azadeh, A. & Ghaderi, S.F. & Omrani, H., 2009. "A deterministic approach for performance assessment and optimization of power distribution units in Iran," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 274-280, January.
    21. Huang, Yi-Ju & Chen, Ku-Hsieh & Yang, Chih-Hai, 2010. "Cost efficiency and optimal scale of electricity distribution firms in Taiwan: An application of metafrontier analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 15-23, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Efficiency analysis; econometric methods; electricity distribution; benchmarking; Germany;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
    • L43 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Legal Monopolies and Regulation or Deregulation
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation

    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:zbw:tuddps:0605. 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: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/pltudde.html .

    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.