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Overzealous consumerism… a triple‐edged sword
Author(s) -
Loiselle Gerard E.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.1981.tb04640.x
Subject(s) - consumerism , sword , earnings , competition (biology) , face (sociological concept) , business , monopoly , economics , marketing , industrial organization , public economics , market economy , finance , engineering , mechanical engineering , ecology , social science , sociology , biology
The rates that water utilities are allowed to charge for their services are determined by regulatory agencies. Regulation serves as a theoretically suitable substitute for the price competition these companies would face were it not for their status as regulated monopolies. This regulatory process often forces the utility to play “catch up” with inflation which aggravates the impact on public attitudes. The consumer is ultimately the loser if utility companies are denied the opportunity to achieve reasonable earnings.