Liberalisation in a world of second best: evidence on European network industries

Mehmet Ugur ()

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This article reports mixed results about the impacts of liberalisation in European network industries. Telecommunications prices have fallen and converged across EU-15, but electricity and gas prices have either increased or diverged. Productivity has increased, but mainly as a result of falling employment in absolute and relative terms. Liberalised industries are still characterised by high levels of market concentration and low levels of transparency and market integration. These findings are in line with the predictions of the theory of second best and suggest that the case for liberalisation of network industries has been oversold.

Keywords: Liberalisation; network industries; second-best; public policy; European Union (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D02 D24 D4 D78 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-02-27, Revised 2009-10-13
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-net
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Related works:
Working Paper: Liberalisation in a world of second best: evidence on European network industries (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:17873

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