In this study we combine different possibilities to model firm level heterogeneity in Stochastic Frontier Analysis. We show that both observed and unobserved heterogeneity cause serious biases in inefficiency results if left unmodelled. Modelling observed and unobserved heterogeneity treats...

This paper characterises the impact of vertical integration on price equilibria and incentives to strategically withhold capacity in a wholesale electricity auction. A two-stage game is analysed where vertically integrated firms first declare the quantity of electricity available and then...

Benchmarks based on cost frontiers have become increasingly popular as a way to regulate electricity distribution utilities. There has been an extensive research focus on how to estimate the level of inefficiency, but only limited investigation of which factors influence inefficiency. If the...

Under what conditions does cost-of-service regulation lead firms to distort costs? This paper analyzes changes in fuel procurement practices by coal- and natural gas-fired electricity generating plants in the United States following state-level legislation that ended cost-of-service regulation...

In regulation of network services such as the distribution of electricity, gas and water prices have traditionally been based on own costs of companies. Recently a few regulatory bodies in Europe started to use yardstick competition, a scheme that links prices to the performance of other...

In 1999, Maryland chose to join several other coastal states in restructuring its electricity markets, in an effort to bring cheaper electricity into the state to supply heavy manufacturers who were considering relocating to places with cheaper supply. Initially, this policy change appeared...

Scale characteristics are key properties of production functions that determine optimal firm sizes, and have considerable policy implications for sectors undergoing restructuring. However, estimates of scale characteristics typically vary with the assumptions of the underlying empirical model....

Given the characteristics of electricity and the reforms that this sector has undergone, there is still a lot of discussion regarding the best way of ensuring adequate supply in such an environment. The situation is even more critical for countries like Colombia with high dependence on hydro...

Although the allocative efficiency benefits of competition are a tenet of microeconomic theory, the relation between competition and technical efficiency is less well understood. Neoclassical models of profit-maximization subsume static cost-minimizing behavior regardless of market...

Regulator needs reliable information on which to base its policies when practicing regulation on individual firms. Various benchmarking methods can be used to evaluate the firm specific effectiveness on the industry. In this paper we study the sensitivity problems of the benchmarking processes...