Variance in the institutions of local utility services: evidence from several European countries

This chapter presents the different options of institutional choice for the delivery of local utility services like water, waste, energy or transport in selected European countries. The authors concentrate empirically on three major options: provision by a municipally owned corporation, by a public-private partnership and by a private corporation to which the service is contracted out. Furthermore, some trends of development over time are presented. In all countries under review, a remarkable proportion of utility services is still allocated to autonomous municipal enterprises. Private enterprises, however, are also strongly involved in local services: as co-owners and partners of municipal corporations with mixed ownership and as providers of outsourced services. Finally, the authors discuss several explanations of the emerging patterns and changes in the institutional landscape.