The role and performance of public power: Separating fact from ideology
- American Public Power Association (United States)
The debate over the role and performance of public power will not go away. Perhaps, however, the debate can occur at a level transcending pure ideological disputes. Certainly the evidence is clear. There is no legitimacy to the argument that public power lacks economic legitimacy. There is no legitimacy to the proposition that private power companies are inherently more efficient than their public power counterparts. Likewise, there is no legitimacy to the complaints that public power's lower rates can be explained away by subsidies. Instead, the facts indicate that, on average, public power systems and their managers have been excellent stewards of the resources needed to produce electric service. Rather than ignoring these facts and resorting to questionable indirect proofs of why private utilities are likely to out-perform public ones, researchers should study first-hand the institutional arrangements under which public power systems operate and are held accountable for providing low-cost, high-quality service.
- OSTI ID:
- 6184126
- Journal Information:
- Electricity Journal, Vol. 12:5; ISSN 1040-6190
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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