Utility Pricing and the Poor : Lessons from Armenia

Increasing cost recovery for utilities is a cornerstone of the Government of Armenia's economic reform program. This report assesses the 1999 electricity tariff increase and the potential for future improved water sector cost recovery, with pa...

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Main Authors: Lampietti, Julian A., Kolb, Anthony A., Gulyani, Sumila, Avenesyan, Vahram
Format: Publication
Language:English
en_US
Published: Washington, DC: World Bank 2013
Subjects:
CPI
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/05/1121264/utility-pricing-poor-lessons-armenia
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13913
id okr-10986-13913
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-139132021-04-23T14:03:10Z Utility Pricing and the Poor : Lessons from Armenia Lampietti, Julian A. Kolb, Anthony A. Gulyani, Sumila Avenesyan, Vahram AIR POLLUTION BILL COLLECTION BILLING BIOMASS CASH TRANSFERS CENTRAL PLANNING CONSUMERS CONSUMPTION PATTERNS COOLING COST RECOVERY COST-RECOVERY CPI CROSS-SUBSIDIZATION DEBT DEFORESTATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS DRINKING WATER ECOLOGY ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC SITUATION ECONOMIES OF SCALE ELECTRICITY ENERGY CONSUMPTION ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS EQUILIBRIUM EXPENDITURES EXTERNAL COSTS FIXED TARIFF FOREST MANAGEMENT GOVERNANCE OF WATER HEAT HOURS OF SERVICE HOUSEHOLD BUDGET HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION HOUSEHOLD DEMAND HOUSEHOLD DEMAND FOR WATER HOUSEHOLD WATER HOUSEHOLD WATER CONSUMPTION HOUSEHOLDS IMPORTS INCOME INFLATION IRRIGATION IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT LANDFILLS LITERS PER CAPITA PER DAY LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS MANAGEMENT OF WATER MARGINAL COST MARKET PRICES MINING PLUMBING POVERTY LINE PRICE CHANGES PRICE DISTORTIONS PRICE OF WATER REAL WAGES RESIDENTIAL CONSUMERS RESOURCE ALLOCATION SERVICE DELIVERY SERVICE IMPROVEMENT SERVICE QUALITY SEWERAGE SOLID WASTE SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE GROWTH TARIFF ADJUSTMENTS TARIFF INCREASE TARIFF REFORM UNEMPLOYMENT URBAN AREAS URBAN HOUSEHOLDS UTILITIES UTILITY REVENUES UTILITY SERVICES WASTEWATER WATER BILLS WATER CONSERVATION WATER CONSUMPTION WATER DEMAND WATER MARKETS WATER METERS WATER NETWORKS WATER PRICES WATER PRICING WATER QUALITY WATER SECTOR WATER SECTOR REFORM WATER SERVICE WATER SOURCE WATER SUPPLY WATER SYSTEM WATER TARIFF WATER TARIFFS WATER UTILITIES WATER UTILITY Increasing cost recovery for utilities is a cornerstone of the Government of Armenia's economic reform program. This report assesses the 1999 electricity tariff increase and the potential for future improved water sector cost recovery, with particular attention to questions of service accessibility and affordability for the poor . The burden of energy expenditures is large for most households, particularly for the poor. Electricity makes up the bulk of these expenditures, and a further increase in tariffs, without increasing access to low cost substitutes, would lead to the greatest hardship for the urban poor. Future electricity tariff increases should be closely coordinated with improved price response prediction and credible action to mitigate the potential impact on the poor and the environment. The water utilities are caught in a low-level equilibrium trap, characterized by decreasing service quality and revenue. The water utilities must break out of this trap by generating more revenues through improved service delivery. A two-stage approach is recommended. In the first stage, revenues should be increased by enforcing payment from the households that currently have reliable service but are not paying their bills, in the second stage, after collection capacity is strengthened, the utility should start a program of tariff adjustments, based on improved service and meter-based billing. 2013-06-13T17:24:53Z 2013-06-13T17:24:53Z 2001-05 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/05/1121264/utility-pricing-poor-lessons-armenia 0-8213-4922-8 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13913 English en_US World Bank Technical Paper;No. 497 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank Washington, DC: World Bank Publications & Research :: Publication Publications & Research :: Publication Europe and Central Asia Armenia
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic AIR POLLUTION
BILL COLLECTION
BILLING
BIOMASS
CASH TRANSFERS
CENTRAL PLANNING
CONSUMERS
CONSUMPTION PATTERNS
COOLING
COST RECOVERY
COST-RECOVERY
CPI
CROSS-SUBSIDIZATION
DEBT
DEFORESTATION
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
DRINKING WATER
ECOLOGY
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC SITUATION
ECONOMIES OF SCALE
ELECTRICITY
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
EQUILIBRIUM
EXPENDITURES
EXTERNAL COSTS
FIXED TARIFF
FOREST MANAGEMENT
GOVERNANCE OF WATER
HEAT
HOURS OF SERVICE
HOUSEHOLD BUDGET
HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION
HOUSEHOLD DEMAND
HOUSEHOLD DEMAND FOR WATER
HOUSEHOLD WATER
HOUSEHOLD WATER CONSUMPTION
HOUSEHOLDS
IMPORTS
INCOME
INFLATION
IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT
LANDFILLS
LITERS PER CAPITA PER DAY
LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS
MANAGEMENT OF WATER
MARGINAL COST
MARKET PRICES
MINING
PLUMBING
POVERTY LINE
PRICE CHANGES
PRICE DISTORTIONS
PRICE OF WATER
REAL WAGES
RESIDENTIAL CONSUMERS
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
SERVICE DELIVERY
SERVICE IMPROVEMENT
SERVICE QUALITY
SEWERAGE
SOLID WASTE
SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
TARIFF ADJUSTMENTS
TARIFF INCREASE
TARIFF REFORM
UNEMPLOYMENT
URBAN AREAS
URBAN HOUSEHOLDS
UTILITIES
UTILITY REVENUES
UTILITY SERVICES
WASTEWATER
WATER BILLS
WATER CONSERVATION
WATER CONSUMPTION
WATER DEMAND
WATER MARKETS
WATER METERS
WATER NETWORKS
WATER PRICES
WATER PRICING
WATER QUALITY
WATER SECTOR
WATER SECTOR REFORM
WATER SERVICE
WATER SOURCE
WATER SUPPLY
WATER SYSTEM
WATER TARIFF
WATER TARIFFS
WATER UTILITIES
WATER UTILITY
spellingShingle AIR POLLUTION
BILL COLLECTION
BILLING
BIOMASS
CASH TRANSFERS
CENTRAL PLANNING
CONSUMERS
CONSUMPTION PATTERNS
COOLING
COST RECOVERY
COST-RECOVERY
CPI
CROSS-SUBSIDIZATION
DEBT
DEFORESTATION
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
DRINKING WATER
ECOLOGY
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC SITUATION
ECONOMIES OF SCALE
ELECTRICITY
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
EQUILIBRIUM
EXPENDITURES
EXTERNAL COSTS
FIXED TARIFF
FOREST MANAGEMENT
GOVERNANCE OF WATER
HEAT
HOURS OF SERVICE
HOUSEHOLD BUDGET
HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION
HOUSEHOLD DEMAND
HOUSEHOLD DEMAND FOR WATER
HOUSEHOLD WATER
HOUSEHOLD WATER CONSUMPTION
HOUSEHOLDS
IMPORTS
INCOME
INFLATION
IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT
LANDFILLS
LITERS PER CAPITA PER DAY
LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS
MANAGEMENT OF WATER
MARGINAL COST
MARKET PRICES
MINING
PLUMBING
POVERTY LINE
PRICE CHANGES
PRICE DISTORTIONS
PRICE OF WATER
REAL WAGES
RESIDENTIAL CONSUMERS
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
SERVICE DELIVERY
SERVICE IMPROVEMENT
SERVICE QUALITY
SEWERAGE
SOLID WASTE
SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
TARIFF ADJUSTMENTS
TARIFF INCREASE
TARIFF REFORM
UNEMPLOYMENT
URBAN AREAS
URBAN HOUSEHOLDS
UTILITIES
UTILITY REVENUES
UTILITY SERVICES
WASTEWATER
WATER BILLS
WATER CONSERVATION
WATER CONSUMPTION
WATER DEMAND
WATER MARKETS
WATER METERS
WATER NETWORKS
WATER PRICES
WATER PRICING
WATER QUALITY
WATER SECTOR
WATER SECTOR REFORM
WATER SERVICE
WATER SOURCE
WATER SUPPLY
WATER SYSTEM
WATER TARIFF
WATER TARIFFS
WATER UTILITIES
WATER UTILITY
Lampietti, Julian A.
Kolb, Anthony A.
Gulyani, Sumila
Avenesyan, Vahram
Utility Pricing and the Poor : Lessons from Armenia
geographic_facet Europe and Central Asia
Armenia
relation World Bank Technical Paper;No. 497
description Increasing cost recovery for utilities is a cornerstone of the Government of Armenia's economic reform program. This report assesses the 1999 electricity tariff increase and the potential for future improved water sector cost recovery, with particular attention to questions of service accessibility and affordability for the poor . The burden of energy expenditures is large for most households, particularly for the poor. Electricity makes up the bulk of these expenditures, and a further increase in tariffs, without increasing access to low cost substitutes, would lead to the greatest hardship for the urban poor. Future electricity tariff increases should be closely coordinated with improved price response prediction and credible action to mitigate the potential impact on the poor and the environment. The water utilities are caught in a low-level equilibrium trap, characterized by decreasing service quality and revenue. The water utilities must break out of this trap by generating more revenues through improved service delivery. A two-stage approach is recommended. In the first stage, revenues should be increased by enforcing payment from the households that currently have reliable service but are not paying their bills, in the second stage, after collection capacity is strengthened, the utility should start a program of tariff adjustments, based on improved service and meter-based billing.
format Publications & Research :: Publication
author Lampietti, Julian A.
Kolb, Anthony A.
Gulyani, Sumila
Avenesyan, Vahram
author_facet Lampietti, Julian A.
Kolb, Anthony A.
Gulyani, Sumila
Avenesyan, Vahram
author_sort Lampietti, Julian A.
title Utility Pricing and the Poor : Lessons from Armenia
title_short Utility Pricing and the Poor : Lessons from Armenia
title_full Utility Pricing and the Poor : Lessons from Armenia
title_fullStr Utility Pricing and the Poor : Lessons from Armenia
title_full_unstemmed Utility Pricing and the Poor : Lessons from Armenia
title_sort utility pricing and the poor : lessons from armenia
publisher Washington, DC: World Bank
publishDate 2013
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/05/1121264/utility-pricing-poor-lessons-armenia
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13913
_version_ 1764424811328569344