Ringing in the 20th Century : The Effects of State Monopolies, Private Ownership, and Operating Licenses on Telecommunications in Europe, 1892-1914

Wallsten, Scott

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: AUTHORITY;    BYPASS;    CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE;    CITIES;    COMPETITION POLICY;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-2690
RP-ID  :  WPS2690

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Countries around the world areliberalizing their telecommunications networks byprivatizing incumbent state-owned firms and introducingcompetition. For many, this change represents a return toprivate provision and competition-not a new phenomenon. Thebeginning of the 20th century saw great variation in thestructure of telecommunications sectors, with some countriesoperating state monopolies and others-especially inScandinavia-allowing vigorous private competition. Theauthor uses data on countries around the world in 1913 andon European countries in 1892-1914 to test the effects ofgovernment monopolies, private provision, and operatinglicenses on telephone development. Controlling for percapita income and, where possible, for country and yearfixed effects, he finds that state monopoly provision iscorrelated with substantially lower telephone penetrationand higher consumer prices for long-distance service thanprivate provision. Contrary to conventional wisdom, ruralservice was also worse under state-owned monopolies.Operating licenses that gave the state the right toappropriate firms' assets similarly led to lowertelephone penetration and higher prices.