Edward Elgar Publishing The Political Economy of Institutional Change in the Electricity Supply Industry: Shifting Currents

Product Description Through a variety of analytical lenses - formal modeling, econometrics and case study comparisons - Carlos RufIn fills a gap in the political economy of second-wave, or microeconomic, reforms around the world. More specifically, he does so in the context of the electricity supply industry, where such reforms have been as problematic as they have been widespread. The author shows that ideological considerations and bargaining over the distribution of economic rents accruing from certain institutional arrangements are powerful shapers of institutional change. At the same time, the legacy of the past does not appear to have a clear or systematic effect on the direction of second-wave reforms that seek to transform existing economic institutions. If distributional conflicts can be resolved, these conclusions provide grounds for optimism about the ability to create new institutions even in countries where little favorable precedent exists. Political economy and public policy scholars, specialists on business-government relations and non-market strategy and those interested in Latin America will find this comprehensive book of great interest. Practitioners involved in the design and implementation of second-wave reforms around the world will find this an essential addition to their library. Review 'Institutional change is seldom easy. However, research such as this should help in a major way to keep expectations connected to reality and to provide guidance that points to hidden assumptions about the fertility of the field of reform and unintended consequences of planting before the ground is prepared'. -- From the foreword by William W. Hogan About the Author Carlos Rufín, Associate Professor of International Business and Director, Global Business Program, Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, US