The regulation of water services in the EU

The European Commission’s proposal for a Directive on the award of concession contracts has sparked vigorous public debate and intense opposition. This Directive is controversial because of the nature of the policy it proposes and because the sectors involved are highly sensitive. This Forum examines the weaknesses of the Commission’s proposal and presents an overview of the current issues in water regulation and the provision of water services. The authors analyse the regulation of natural monopolies, water efficiency and upstream competition in the water industry.     

Cost allocation and regulatory pricing in telecommunications : A UK case study

This article describes the application of alternative cost allocation methodologies to the Hull telephone system, which provides service to a small area of the UK independently of British Telecom. The article first discusses alternative uses of and methods for allocating costs among access, local usage and trunk usage. It then implements the fully distributed cost approach, using accountancy data provided by the company. In addition, several illustrative calculations are shown which cost individual services on a stand-alone basis using different technologies. The results broadly suggest that, on a full distributed cost basis, access costs exceed existing average tariff levels. The article concludes with some illustrative calculations showing the rebalancing of access and usage charges which would generate the same revenue but bring them more in line with costs.     

The Economics of the Internet: Infrastructure and Regulation

The purpose of this article is to inform users, regulators,and economists about the basic economics of the Internet, focusingon regulation of its infrastructure. It defines the Internetand describes its development and organization. It analysesthe regulatory and competition issues associated with conveyanceon the Internet. It then discusses three current puzzles ofeconomic interest. While the article reaches several conclusions,the overall message is that much more work is needed in thisarea.     

适合的才是好的治理

正对中小企业而言,最大的目标当然是业绩。不管什么治理方法,能提高业绩的就是好方法。如果遵循某个治理原则带来的只有高昂的治理成本和官僚作风,那么这件事情就不应该做金融衰退往往会使人们加强对公司治理的关注。近几年发生的经济衰退也不例外,各国的监管部门都加强了对公司的合规审查。英国Close Brothers集团的CEO Preben Prebensen表示,"过去五年来,大家都比较认可治理的重要性,而且这种认可并不局限于     

Controlling increases in the volume and intensity of medical services

In their efforts to contain healthcare costs, employers are attempting to control volume and intensity (VI) of services growth. A new volume performance standard described in this article would allow employers to set annual VI growth targets with their network sponsors.     

Multiple HMO/indemnity plan supplement design: a managed care strategy for employers with high HMO enrollment

This article outlines a health care benefits strategy that combines features of the multiple HMO choice approach and the point-of-service approach. Although this plan design may not be appropriate for all employers, it may provide the greatest long-term cost savings for employers with high HMO enrollment, according to the author.     

European Telecommunications Infrastructures

Since the liberalization of European telecommunications markets,regulators at European and national level have been relativelysuccessful in forcing down the price of access to the historicmonopolists' fixed network. This has led, however, to the developmentprimarily of ‘service competition’ in most of Europe,while infrastructure competition has been limited. As a consequence,investment levels are significantly lower than in the UnitedStates, particularly for the provision of broadband. Mobiletelephony has, however, diffused quickly in Europe comparedwith the United States, partly as a result of the successfulsecond-generation Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)standard adopted, and partly as a result of the charging systemsemployed. These developments have, however, been imperilledby the cost and delays associated with third-generation mobiletechnology. A new regime for regulating communications is currentlybeing developed in Europe. If properly applied, it will reduceregulatory intervention and promote investment and innovationin both fixed and mobile services, but there is a risk thatnational regulators may thwart this outcome.