Pricing Dynamics of Network Utilities in Developing Countries
This paper examines the pricing of a utility with an underdeveloped network facing a competitive fringe, short-run network adjustment costs, theft of service, and the threat of retaliatory government intervention that is increasing with the price it charges. Under a variety of plausible assumptions...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Journal Article |
Language: | EN |
Published: |
2012
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10986/5524 |
Summary: | This paper examines the pricing of a utility with an underdeveloped network facing a competitive fringe, short-run network adjustment costs, theft of service, and the threat of retaliatory government intervention that is increasing with the price it charges. Under a variety of plausible assumptions (in the context of developing countries) the utility will find its long-run profits enhanced if it exercises pricing restraint in the early stages of network development. These findings provide some useful insights for the design of post-privatization regulatory governance in developing countries where years of price controls have contributed to choking off investment in network expansion. |
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