Utilities Policy and Reform

Abstract

During the past decades, the EU policy agenda for public utilities has been steadily shifting towards liberalization, (re)regulation and competitive markets. This policy mix, in different ways and degrees, has forced the traditional model of state-owned enterprise (SOE) to adjust to new ownership, governance and control schemes that are characterized by greater complexity and involve new modes of co-operation between the public and the private sectors. The required adjustments have called for a critical reconsideration of government’s intervention in network industries and a redefinition of SOEs’ role. Accordingly, the perception of citizens’ role has changed. This chapter tries to assess the impact of these developments on the relationship between the citizens and the SOEs from a policy perspective. Drawing on distinct theoretical approaches on the figure of the citizen, the aim is to understand the (re)conceptualization of citizens in changing policy frameworks and SOEs regimes. On the basis of this analysis, the chapter provides a taxonomy of the different roles, types and features of the citizens in relation to SOEs.

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