Property Rights Versus Public Spirit: Ownership and Efficiency of U.S. Electric Utilities Prior to Rate-of-Return Regulation

1991 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 414 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Hausman ◽  
John L. Neufeld
2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 2019-2048
Author(s):  
Jose Miguel Abito

Abstract I empirically measure the welfare gains from optimal incentive regulation in the context of electric utilities facing both emissions and rate of return regulation (RORR). I provide evidence that RORR induces lower fuel efficiency, leading to greater coal consumption and higher emissions abatement costs. Replacing RORR with the optimal mechanism of Laffont and Tirole (1986) yields annual welfare gains of $686 million or a 11% reduction in electricity prices. I construct a much simpler two-contract menu that can achieve more than 65% of these welfare gains.


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 32-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaisa Tahvanainen ◽  
Samuli Honkapuro ◽  
Jarmo Partanen ◽  
Satu Viljainen

2021 ◽  
Vol 147 (8) ◽  
pp. 04021080
Author(s):  
Rachael Sherman ◽  
G. Edward Gibson Jr. ◽  
Edward Merrow ◽  
Kristen Parrish

1981 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1199-1202 ◽  
Author(s):  
ENRIQUE R. ARZAC ◽  
MATITYAHU MARCUS

2002 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 1050-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Hausman ◽  
John L. Neufeld

We provide evidence that the problem of raising capital in the early days of the U.S. electric-utility industry motivated industry leaders to embrace state rate-of-return regulation in return for a secure territorial monopoly. Utility executives anticipated that this would lead to a reduction in borrowing costs. Using firm-level bond data for 1910–1919, we estimate a model and find that state regulation led to lower borrowing costs but that the magnitude of the reduction was small. We also find evidence that output of electric utilities in states with regulation was higher than output in states without regulation.


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