Delphi and fuzzy TOPSIS approach for redefining the scope of postal universal service obligation

Bojan Jovanović (), Dragana Šarac () and Nataša Čačić ()
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Bojan Jovanović: University of Novi Sad
Dragana Šarac: University of Novi Sad
Nataša Čačić: University of Novi Sad

Journal of Regulatory Economics, 2025, vol. 68, issue 1, No 3, 38-52

Abstract: Abstract The postal industry has undergone drastic changes over the last 30 years. These changes include the separation of postal and telecommunications sectors and the abolition of the monopoly status of postal incumbents. In the postal sector, the Universal Service Obligation (USO) has a very important role. The most common mechanism for fulfilling USO requirements was the reserved services mechanism (by weight and/or price). However, EU countries have abolished such practices and fully opened their markets (the last one in 2013), using alternative mechanisms for financing USO. The question that has arisen with the processes of liberalization and deregulation of the postal market is whether the USO can exist without the reserved services, specifically for candidate countries that still have reserved areas. This paper focuses on defining the sustainable scope of the USO in Serbia, a candidate country working towards full implementation of postal directives, with the help of the Delphi and Fuzzy TOPSIS approaches. The developed methodology can serve as a universal tool for redefining the scope of the postal USO in any country around the world.

Keywords: Postal universal service obligation; Redefining; Sustainability; Delphi; Fuzzy TOPSIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D81 L53 L87 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11149-025-09489-6

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