TY - JOUR
T1 - X-factor regulation in a developing country: The case of Lima's airport
AU - Defilippi, Enzo
PY - 2015/7/1
Y1 - 2015/7/1
N2 - In theory, X-factor regulation provides better incentives for cost reduction than previously widely-used rate-of-return regulation. However, a deeper look into how this factor is effectively estimated shows the regulator enjoys a great deal of discretion, especially when selecting the methodologies used to estimate its components. As shown in this paper, discretion increases the likelihood of controversies between the regulator and the regulated firm. This paper describes how the X-factor is estimated for Peruvian transport infrastructures and analyzes the most important controversies that arose when the X-factor for Lima's airport was estimated. Conclusions are the following: i) when the X-factor is estimated retrospectively careful planning is necessary since this option requires data that has to be collected at the time the infrastructure is concessioned; ii) cost of capital estimation is one of the main sources of controversy due to the subjective criteria used in its calculation and its impact in the final result; and, iii) transparent procedures improve the legitimacy of regulatory decisions, especially in contexts of limited public resources and weak institutions, typical of developing countries.
AB - In theory, X-factor regulation provides better incentives for cost reduction than previously widely-used rate-of-return regulation. However, a deeper look into how this factor is effectively estimated shows the regulator enjoys a great deal of discretion, especially when selecting the methodologies used to estimate its components. As shown in this paper, discretion increases the likelihood of controversies between the regulator and the regulated firm. This paper describes how the X-factor is estimated for Peruvian transport infrastructures and analyzes the most important controversies that arose when the X-factor for Lima's airport was estimated. Conclusions are the following: i) when the X-factor is estimated retrospectively careful planning is necessary since this option requires data that has to be collected at the time the infrastructure is concessioned; ii) cost of capital estimation is one of the main sources of controversy due to the subjective criteria used in its calculation and its impact in the final result; and, iii) transparent procedures improve the legitimacy of regulatory decisions, especially in contexts of limited public resources and weak institutions, typical of developing countries.
KW - Airport regulation
KW - Incentive regulation
KW - Price caps
KW - RPI-X
KW - X-factor
KW - Airport regulation
KW - Incentive regulation
KW - Price caps
KW - RPI-X
KW - X-factor
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U2 - 10.1016/j.tranpol.2015.03.005
DO - 10.1016/j.tranpol.2015.03.005
M3 - Article in a journal
SN - 0967-070X
VL - 41
SP - 16
EP - 22
JO - Transport Policy
JF - Transport Policy
ER -