This study provides a comprehensive efficiency analysis of water service providers in six countries in the Central American region. Pressures for sector reform have stimulated interest in identifying and understanding the factors that can contribute to network expansion, improved service...

In a recent article surveying electricity demand studies, Lester Taylor examined the implications of multistep block pricing for consumption. The framework he used serves here as the basis for comparing lifeline rates, fuel stamps, and direct cash subsidies -- programs proposed to alleviate the...

Regulators of utilities that operate as local monopolies would like to set prices or allow rates of return based upon the quality of a utility's service. However, quality is highly multidimensional. Traditionally, regulators have collected measures of quality on many separate dimensions, and...