Bagnoli, LisaBertomeu-Sanchez, SalvadorEstache, AntonioVagliasindi, Maria2024-08-092024-08-092021-11-21Journal of Economic Policy Reform1748-7870 (print)1748-7889 (online)https://hdl.handle.net/10986/42034This paper surveys the evidence on the relevance of the ownership choice for electricity and water and sanitation utilities with respect to access and affordability in developing countries. It shows that most of the widely quoted evidence is outdated and fails to reflect the long-term effects of choices made in the 1990s. The most recent data suggests that ownership affects social outcomes less than regulatory governance and market structure. The evidence is how-ever not precise enough yet. More research is needed to determine how context and institutional constraints, including regulatory capacity, should influence ownership choicesen-USCC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGOPRIVATIZATIONREGULATIONUTILITIESACCESSAFFORABILITYAFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGYSDG 7CLEAN WATER AND SANITATIONSDG 6Journal ArticleWorld Bank10.1596/42034