Regulation and Efficiency of Public Water and Sewer Services in Brazil

This article analyzes the effect of the presence of sanitation regulatory agencies on the efficiency of the water supply and sewage collection services in Brazil. We used DEA covering the period from 2015 to 2019. The results indicated that both services tended to be more efficient in municipalities with concessions to private companies for at least one of the services. Conversely, we identified a tendency for lower efficiency in municipalities with the presence of regulatory agencies, an indication that the costs associated with regulation are not yet reflected in more efficient water supply and sewage collection services in Brazil