Estache, AntonioKouassi, Eugene2014-08-082014-08-082002-09https://hdl.handle.net/10986/19274The authors analyze the determinants of the efficiency levels reached by twenty one African water utilities. They assess efficiency through the estimation of a production frontier for the sector in Africa. The efficiency estimates confirm much of the common perceptions from partial productivity indicators. They point to a great heterogeneity in the African water utilities' performances, the predominance of constant returns to scale, and the great rate of technological progress. And the authors show that the institutional capacity of the country, as well as its governance quality, are significant driving factors in the performance of each firm.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACCEPTABLE QUALITYACCESS TO SAFE WATERAVERAGE PRODUCTIVITYCONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKECONOMETRICSECONOMIC ANALYSISECONOMIC REVIEWECONOMIES OF SCALEECONOMISTSELASTICITIESEMPIRICAL ANALYSISEMPIRICAL EVIDENCEEMPLOYMENTEXTERNALITIESFARMSGOOD GOVERNANCEINCOMEINCOME DISTRIBUTIONINCOME LEVELSINPUT USEINSURANCELARGE UTILITIESMICROECONOMICSMUNICIPAL WATERMUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLYNUMBER OF CONNECTIONSOPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTSPERFORMANCE INCENTIVESPERFORMANCE INDICATORSPOLICY RESEARCHPRIVATE COMPANIESPRIVATE FINANCINGPRIVATE OPERATORSPRIVATE SECTORPRODUCTION FUNCTIONSPRODUCTION PROCESSPRODUCTION TECHNOLOGYPRODUCTIVITYPRODUCTIVITY GROWTHPUBLIC UTILITIESQUALITY OF WATERREGULATORY SUPERVISIONRETURNS TO SCALERURAL WATERSAFE WATER SUPPLYSANITATION SERVICESSANITATION UTILITIESSAVINGSSCALE ECONOMIESSEWERAGE INDUSTRYURBAN AREASURBAN WATERUTILITY MANAGERWATER ALLOCATIONWATER COVERAGEWATER DISTRIBUTIONWATER INDUSTRYWATER MANAGEMENTWATER PRODUCTIONWATER SECTORWATER SERVICESWATER SUPPLYWATER UTILITIESWATER UTILITYWILLINGNESS TO PAY WATER UTILITIESEFFICIENCYPRODUCTION CAPACITYWATER CONSUMPTIONPRODUCTIVITY ACCOUNTINGPERFORMANCE INDICATORSTECHNOLOGICAL CHANGEINSTITUTIONAL CAPACITYGOVERNANCE CAPACITY10.1596/1813-9450-2890