The Needs of the Poor in Infraestructure Privatization. The Role of Universal Service Obligations. The Case of Argentina

El cambio estructural derivado de la privatización y regulación puede inducir una reconsideración de las regulaciones definidas al momento de iniciar el proceso privatizador. El cambio en la organización vertical del mercado y los tecnológicos, entre otros, cambian las reglas de formación de precios y de asignación de recursos. Las características d ela distribución personal y factorial del ingreso y la estructura social son también datos que influencian el diseño tarifario y la especificación de los planes de inversión necesarios así como la definición de las obligaciones de provisión de carácter social por parte de los prestadores. En general, las obligaciones sociales se refieren a los requerimientos de provisión de un conjunto de servicios bajo ciertos términos y condiciones los cuales en muchos casos en forma de transacciones involuntarias.Privatization; regulatory

On the Road to a Unified Market for Energy Efficiency: The Contribution of White Certificates Schemes

White certificates schemes mandate competing energy companies to promote energy efficiency with flexibility mechanisms, including the trading of energy savings. So far, stylized facts are lacking and outcomes are mainly country-specific. By comparing results of British, Italian and French experiences, we attempt to identify the core determinants of their performances. We show that (i) white certificates schemes are depicted in theoretical works as mandatory subsidies on energy efficiency goods recovered by an end-use energy tax, whereby white certificates exchanges are not a central feature; (ii) at current stages, existing schemes are cost-effective and economically efficient, with large discrepancies though; (iii) the hybrid subsidy-tax mechanism seems valid but conditional to cost pass through permissions; otherwise, obliged energy companies merely promote information on the “downstream” side (i.e. at the consumer level); (iv) although white certificates exchange between different types of actors involved can be important as in Italy, trade among obliged companies is negligible; instead, flexibility sustains vertical relationships between obliged parties and “upstream” partners (i.e. installers, energy service companies). In this respect, we support the view that white certificates schemes are a policy instrument of multi-functional nature (subsidisation, information, technology diffusion), whose static and dynamic efficiency depends upon the consistency between a proper definition of long-term energy savings, the appropriate cost-recovery permission and a fine coordination with other instruments. We finally propose a four stages deployment pattern, along which fragmented markets for energy efficient technologies get closer to create a unified market delivering energy efficiency as a homogeneous good.White Certificates Schemes, Static Efficiency, Dynamic Efficiency, Vertical Organisation, Policy Coordination

The Vietnamese shrimp trade: livelihoods analysis of stakeholders and market chain analysis

Aquaculture and capture fisheries in Vietnam have been increasing fast in the last decade, especially aquaculture growth rate is 12% for the 1999 – 2003 period, contributing a significant part into the hunger eradication and poverty reduction1. Vietnam is to be ranked into one of the countries potential to produce the aquatic economic in the world, and the fact is that, after 40 years of establishing, the fisheries sector has made remarkable contributions to the country. By the list, at the moment the aquatic products make up about 4 - 5% of GDP and create job opportunities for over 3 three million employees (VASEP, 2004), in which the largest contribution is from shrimp farming. [PDF contains 124 pages.

Light and lightning at the end of the public tunnel : reform of the electricity sector in the Southern Cone

The authors provide an overview of recent privatization experiences in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. They focus on both achievements and outstanding problems in the electricity sector. They pay special attention to the issue of whether regulators can enforce compliance and sustain the spirit of reform - bringing the forces of competition to the sector - despite the unavoidable adjustments and fine-tuning that effective regulation requires. Among the lessons: Competition, rather than privatization, is the key to transforming the sector. For competition to work, several conditions must be met: 1) The primary energy source must be competitive for competition in the wholesale market to work. (In Chile, the fact that most of the water rights have been allocated to the major generator company seriously limits efficiency in the sector.) 2) Monopolistic stages must be formally separate from other stages, with clear rules for third-party access. (Here, the structure adopted by Argentina seems superior to that adopted by Chile.) 3) New entry into the system is the ultimate test of competition. The main gain from competition in electricity generation comes from the decentralization of decisions about when, how much, and what type of generation has to be brought to the market, rather than from short-term gains from minimizing costs. Overall, vertical and horizontal separation in the sector increases rather than reduces the burden and complexity of regulation. In a disintegrated system, the issues that arose in a traditional monopoly situation (fair rate of return, asset base, tariff to final consumers, and so on) are significantly increased. New issues include third-party access, the promotion of competition, interconnection pricing, and consistency of regulations across stages of competitive development. Restructuring and privatization are still in their early stages so lessons drawn from experience must be considered tentative.Decentralization,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Markets and Market Access,Labor Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Markets and Market Access,Access to Markets,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform

Aquaculture Asia, vol. 8, no. 3, pp.1-58, July - September 2003

CONTENTS: Ornamental Fish Farming – Successful Small Scale Aqua business in India, by Abalika Ghosh, B. K. Mahapatra and N.C. Datta. Tilapia: A species for Indian Aquaculture? by Graham Mair. Peri-urban food production in Southeast Asia, by Peter Edwards. Shrimp Farming Practices and its Socio- Economic Consequences in East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India - A Case Study, by M.Kumaran, P.Ravichandran, B.P.Gupta and A.Nagavel. Breeding technique of Malaysian golden arowana, Scleropages formosus in concrete tanks, by Mohamad Zaini Suleiman. Captive Breeding of Peacock Eel, Macrognathus aculeatus, by S.K.Das and N. Kalita. Substrate based aquaculture systems: Farmer innovation withstands scientific scrutiny and proves robust, by M.C. Nandeesha. [Farmers as Scientists series] Extension in shrimp health management: experiences from an MPEDA/NACA program in Andhra Pradesh, India, by PA Padiyar, MJ Phillips, M Primphon, CV Mohan, BV Bhat, VS Rao, G Ravi Babu, ABCh Mohan, GN Murthy and P Chanratchakool. The status and treatment of serious diseases of freshwater prawns and crabs in China, by Yang Xianle and Huang Yanping. Guidelines for improvement of water quality and volume in shrimp farm (แนวทางในการปรับปรุงคุณภาพ และปริมาณน้ำในฟาร์มกุ้ง), by Pornlerd Chanratchakool. Improvement of larval rearing technique for Humpback grouper, Cromileptes altivelis, by Ketut Sugama, Suko Ismi, Shogo. Kawahara and Mike Rimme