An analytical review of the efficiency of water and sanitation utilities in developing countries. (15th September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cetrulo, Tiago Balieiro; Marques, Rui Cunha; Malheiros, Tadeu Fabrício
• Is Part Of: Water research. Volume 161(2019)
• Page Start: 372
• Page End: 380
• Publication Date: 2019-09-15
• Subjects: Water and sanitation utilities -- Efficiency -- Benchmarking -- Quantitative techniques; Water -- Pollution -- Research -- Periodicals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.05.044
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0043-1354

Abstract

Abstract: Due to the importance of analyzing the efficiency of water utilities and the large number of publications in this area, at least five reviews have already been carried out to identify patterns and trends. These reviews aimed to cover worldwide studies, and the results may not correspond to the reality in developing countries. Therefore, this review provides a literature update on the quantitative studies of water and sanitation services, focusing on studies carried out in developing countries. This overview mainly examines the economies of scale and scope, public versus private ownership, and the impact of regulation. As expected, our results show patterns that differ from those found in worldwide reviews (e.g., the influence of regulatory incentives on operator efficiency and economies of scope). In addition, this paper presents patterns regarding the quantitative methods adopted, as well as some trends and areas for possible future research. Highlights: Economies of scale have been found. There was a tendency of private operators to exhibit better performance. Regulatory incentives have not promoted performance improvement. There is a trend in the use of panel data to overcome the restriction of data availability. Universalization of access and water losses should be addressed in future research.