Cross-country comparisons avoid the unsteady equilibrium in which regulators have to balance between economies of scale and a sufficient number of remaining comparable utilities. By the use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), we compare the efficiency of the drinking water sector in the...

This paper outlines the evolution of the regulatory framework for the supply of local public utilities, social and health services since the early nineties. That framework is rendered complex by frequent legislative reforms, the overlap of general rules and specific rules for some services, and...