Measuring the efficiency in spanish municipal refuse collection services

The objective of this study is to analyse the technical or productive efficiency of the refuse collection services in 75 municipalities located in the Spanish region of Catalonia. The analysis has been carried out using various techniques. Firstly we have calculated a deterministic parametric frontier, then a stochastic parametric frontier, and finally, various non-parametric approaches (DEA and FDH). Concerning the results, these naturally differ according to the technique used to approach the frontier. Nevertheless, they have an appearance of solidity, at least with regard to the ordinal concordance among the indices of efficiency obtained by the different approaches, as is demonstrated by the statistical tests used. Finally, we have attempted to search for any relation existing between efficiency and the method (public or private) of managing the services. No significant relation was found between the type of management and efficiency indices.efficiency, management, local public services

Pricing and contracting-out in Spanish urbanwater sector: theoretical foundations and evidence

Water is a merit good that has important implications in economic, social and environmentaldimensions (OECD, 2003). Moreover, urban water supply is considereda service of general interest in the European Union (EU, 2001). As a consequence,local water services management has become a key issue during the last decades. Additionally, it has been observed an increasing of private operators into the watersector. Thus, public-private partnerships (PPP) have emerged as a usual way ofcollaboration in the management of local water services (World Bank, 2006).Departamento de Economí

Fiscal federalism in Spain : The decentralisation: an unfinished work

I am going to destine this paper to critically summarise this process [decentralising] and the current situation about this. To do it, I will divide the work in four parts. First, I will briefly describe the general characteristics of the administrative Spanish system and I will try to remark which have been, in my opinion, the main determinants of the administrative and fiscal decentralisation process produced in Spain and its political and economic explanations.Es revisado por: http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/9139Instituto de Investigaciones Económica

Fiscal federalism in Spain

I am going to destine this paper to critically summarise this process [decentralising] and the current situation about this. To do it, I will divide the work in four parts. First, I will briefly describe the general characteristics of the administrative Spanish system and I will try to remark which have been, in my opinion, the main determinants of the administrative and fiscal decentralisation process produced in Spain and its political and economic explanations

ACEI working paper series A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF READING HABITS A quantitative analysis of reading habits*

ABSTRACT In this paper, reading leisure habits in Spain are analysed as part of the consumers' decision process under a general framework of time allocation and emphasizing the role of cultural background. We use the Survey on Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain 2010-2011 to analyse the factors influencing reading habits, measured by the number of books read, and using a Zero Inflated Binomial Negative model. Time restrictions are a relevant barrier for reading habits. Female and educated people show different patterns. Furthermore, cultural attitudes and consumption are determinants of the probability of being a reader but also of the number of books read. This positive effect is linked to activities classified inside highbrow culture. Cultural capital, measured by a set of variables related to cultural home equipment that may also capture an income effect, has also a positive impact. Finally, we have also found relevant urban/rural differences

Quantifying fear: The social impact of terrorism

This paper proposes a methodology to measure social impact of terrorism. We define a multidimensional terrorism index based not only on deaths but also on other variables such as injuries, bombs and kidnappings. The weight of each terrorist activity is given by its social impact, which is estimated through its relevance in the media. For this task we build up a new data set from the four most important newspapers in Spain, namely, El País, El Mundo, ABC, and La Vanguardia. Finally, we evaluate the social impact of ETA terrorism in Spain from 1993 through 2004.Terrorism Multidimensional index Social impact weight