Powering Up Developing Countries through Integration?

Power market integration is analyzed in a two-country model with nationally regulated firms and costly public funds. If the generation costs between the two countries are too similar, negative business stealing outweighs efficiency gains so that, subsequent to integration, welfare decreases in both regions. Integration is welfare enhancing when the cost difference between two regions is large enough. The benefits from export profits increase the total welfare in the exporting country, whereas the importing country benefits from a lower price. In this case, market integration also improves incentives to invest compared to autarchy. The investment levels remain inefficient, however, especially for transportation facilities. Free riding reduces incentives to invest in these public-good components of the network, whereas business stealing tends to decrease the capacity to finance new investment.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Auriol, Emmanuelle, Biancini, Sara
Format: Journal Article biblioteca
Language:en_US
Published: Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank 2015-01
Subjects:economies of scale, elasticity, externalities, infrastructure, public utilities, regional integration, power market, national regulation,
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24602
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