Description
Book SynopsisLatin American countries have now privatized a large number of their utility industries and make more use of market approaches to delivery through networks. Privatization has major consequences for efficiency, long-term growth, consumer welfare and income distribution but insufficient attention has been paid to the direct effect on consumers of regulation and the introduction of competition. This book assesses how reform processes can be improved, particularly in the light of experience in some Latin American and European countries.
The authors address the question of infrastructure reforms in a novel way by focusing on the impact which they can have on consumers through the prices paid by different groups and on their access to the networks. They analyse original material from four Latin American countries - Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru - and two European countries - Spain and the UK. Access is especially relevant when considering immature systems which have not yet extended to cover the majority of the population, as is the case in many Latin American countries. The authors also address the widespread impact of privatization on the economy (via macroeconomic influences) and the more general issues of subsidies and regulation which are endemic to these industries. The book focuses on the reform of four sectors: telecommunications, electricity, gas, and water and sanitation.
Academics, students, practitioners and policymakers specialising in economics, development and institutional reform will value the book's unique focus on the consumer experience of utility privatization and regulation, complemented by the rigorous case study analysis of the effects on prices and access.
Trade Review'Whether a casual student of the subject or a specialist on utility privatization and regulation, this book captures the attention of the reader with a structure for each of the 10 chapters that takes one through a succinct yet informative background, thereby setting the tone for understanding the authors' hypothesis and conclusions, regardless of whether one agrees with them. In summary, this is a timely, well-written book that makes a relatively novel contribution to the aftermath assessment of utility privatization and regulation in some Latin American and European countries.' -- Sergio Galina-Hidalgo, The Journal of Energy and Development
Table of ContentsContents: Part I: Access, Affordability and Institutions 1. Introduction 2. Access by the Poor in Latin America’s Utility Reform: Subsidies and Service Obligations 3. Access to Utilities by the Poor: A Global Perspective 4. Consumer Participation and Pro-poor Regulation in Latin America Part II: Country Case Studies 5. UK Utility Reform: Distributional Implications and Government Response 6. The Reform of the Utilities Sector in Spain 7. The Reform of the Utilities Sector in Argentina 8. Can the Gains from Argentina’s Utilities Reform Offset Credit Shocks? 9. Capitalization, Regulation and the Poor: Access to Basic Services in Bolivia 10. Redistributive Impact of Privatization and Regulation of Utilities in Chile 11. The Social Impact of Privatization and the Regulation of Utilities in Peru Index
