Environmental performance of state-owned and privatized eastern European energy utilities

Andrew Meyer and Grzegorz Pac

Energy Economics, 2013, vol. 36, issue C, 205-214

Abstract: Privatization in Eastern Europe has helped in the transition of the region's economies from planned to free market. However, the effects of privatization on the environment are relatively unknown and many firms remain under state ownership today. We compare the environmental performance of state-owned and privatized energy utility plants in Eastern Europe utilizing a novel panel data that includes reported sulfur dioxide emissions, energy input, and ownership status. We find that state-owned plants emit more sulfur dioxide than privately owned plants; this is environmentally significant as privatization is associated with a reduction in emissions of about 55%.

Keywords: Privatization; State-owned enterprises; Electricity industry; Environmental quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: P31 Q48 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:36:y:2013:i:c:p:205-214

DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2012.08.019

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