Comparison of utility sectors in the Netherlands. Final report

There is a growing need of evaluating experiences with the liberalization of different sectors in the Netherlands. To what extent do the technical, economical and organizational characteristics of a sector determine the options to deal with competition? And to what extent does the type of competition determine whether the aimed for improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of the service will be realized or not? Thereto, a systematic comparative analysis of infrastructure-related sectors has been carried out. In this report the experiences of the liberalization process in the electric and gas utilities sectors and the public transportation (buses and railway) sector are translated to preliminary conclusions and new research questions with respect to the possibilities to introduce competition in the water supply sector. refs