In most member states of the European Union (EU), universal postal services provided by the incumbent operator are exempt from value added taxes (VAT) on the grounds that they are the “public postal service.” Other postal service providers have to charge VAT at the standard rate. The paper...

This paper analyzes the market entry of Red Parcel Post, a new player in the German Business-to-Business (B2B) parcel market. Currently there are four large service providers in the German B2B parcel market. Each of these incumbent providers operates - albeit with varying degrees of automation -...

The paper first analyzes if there is a need to develop universal postal services in developing countries. We conclude that postal services serve vital functions in economies now and for the foreseeable future. We then discuss regulatory remedies that will foster the evolution of universal postal...

This paper argues that transforming the postal business model goes hand in hand with a transformation in the definition of universal service obligation. Whilst postal operators need to fully embrace the unique competitive space created by electronic substitution, at the intersection between the...