Competition and switching in public service markets: Can they reduce inequalities?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Fernandez-Gutierrez, Marcos; James, Oliver; Jilke, Sebastian
• 署名单位: Universidad de Cantabria; University of Exeter; Rutgers University System; Rutgers University Newark
• 刊物名称: REGULATION & GOVERNANCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1748-5983
• DOI: 10.1111/rego.12110
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 41-63
• 关键词: regulatory reforms; electricity; consumers; CHOICE; satisfaction; CITIZENS; policies; schools; state

摘要

Regulatory reforms to public infrastructure services across European Union (EU) countries were aimed at increasing consumer welfare by introducing competition and choice into service markets. However, empirical evaluations have questioned whether these reforms have benefitted all consumers, suggesting that vulnerable groups of service users (especially those with lower levels of formal education), might be locked into poorly performing services. We assess the relationship between the level of competition in electricity and fixed telephony markets in EU countries and evaluate the affordability of these services for different socio-educational layers. Our findings show that - although in countries where there is a relatively high frequency of switching, inequalities between socio-educational groups are smaller and eventually disappear - competition as such does not play a part. These results suggest that demand-side regulation that successfully enables consumer switching has the potential to equalize social welfare, thereby reflecting a possible convergence of regulatory instruments and the central aims of the welfare state in this context.