Overview

Latin 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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Cecilia Ugaz ,  Catherine Waddams Price
Publisher:   Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Imprint:   Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Edition:   illustrated edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.610kg
ISBN:  

9781843762027

ISBN 10:   1843762021
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   28 April 2003
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Contents: 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

Reviews

'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

Author Information

Edited by Cecilia Ugaz, UNRISD, Geneva, Switzerland and Catherine Waddams Price, Director, ESRC Centre for Competition Policy and Professor of Regulation, School of Management, University of East Anglia, UK

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