In this paper we investigate the economic rationality of the bed downsizing process, characterising the hospital industry worldwide in the last decades, as a measure to control public health care expenditure. Considering a sample of Italian hospitals, we provide fresh evidence on the factor...

The increasing problems of pollution and traffic congestion require the definition of a model of sustainable mobility -- in particular, in large, urban areas. An indirect control on these negative externalities associated with private transport may be pursued by means of policies aimed at...

Within the recent debate on liberalization of local public services, the paper investigates the cost properties of a sample of Italian public utilities providing in combination gas, water and electricity. The estimates from a Composite Cost Function econometric model (Pulley and Braunstein,...

In the last decade, the European Commission promoted a new regulatory framework aiming at a gradual liberalization of the energy markets. The introduction of competition among generators implies the need to separate generation from transmission and distribution activities. However, if savings...

In the paper we study the cost structure of a sample of Italian utility providing in combination gas, water and electricity. The estimates from a Composite cost function model (Pulley e Braunstein, 1992) highlight that costs are lower when multi-utility operate in high-density areas and when...

This paper analyses the cost structure of a sample of Italian Local Public Transport (LPT) companies operating in large urban centers and metropolitan areas, with the aim to extend the evidence of some recent studies focused only on small and medium-sized operators. Technological characteristics...